Student-run tutoring service aims to rekindle love for math
In 2021, eighth graders Ria Jayanti and Saranya Agrawal launched what seemed like a modest initiative: a tutoring program at Willows Preparatory School as part of a community service project. Three years later, that project has grown to become Mission Math, a volunteer-run organization that offers free math tutoring and summer camps to students across six countries, including the U.S., India, Vietnam and Canada.
“We tutored fifth graders in math and Spanish, and we observed this vicious cycle where, as students’ self-esteem decreased, their academic performance would also suffer, which would further lower their confidence,” said Jayanti, who currently attends Redmond High School.
The idea of combating this cycle is at the core of Mission Math’s approach. The organization places self-esteem at its center, and encourages students by celebrating their strengths. Jayanti shared a personal story about a student she worked with. The student often struggled with self-doubt. To support her, Jayanti focused on boosting the student’s confidence by addressing her weaknesses while recognizing her strengths.
“By the end she was so much more confident and passionate,” Jayanti said. “We get to know them as people. And that allows them to achieve so much more than just improving their grades, which we do but we also improve how they see themselves as they study.”
Sammamish resident Poorvi Kantroo, whose daughter Olivia has been learning at Mission Math for one and a half years, shared her positive experience with Mission Math.
“Olivia is in sixth grade now at Inglewood,” Kantroo said. “She is way ahead of the curve. She’s got a grasp of old concepts thanks to the [Mission Math] team, and she’s also got a very good score on her state board test because Saranya makes sure she’s always ahead of the curve, so she gets a lot of time to practice.”
Kantroo is very impressed with the quality of tutoring and the impact it has had on her daughter. According to Kantroo, Olivia also learns at Kumon, but does not get the individual attention and specialized lessons that Mission Math provides.
“[Mission Math] is giving extremely high quality education at zero dollars,” Kantroo said. “Olivia wants to make a career in AI or engineering, and she’s fallen in love with math. They also helped her boost her confidence and be a better student, learn more, trust more, and overall personality development.”
Naavya Garg, who attends fifth grade at Emily Dickinson Elementary School, also shared her story with Mission Math.
“Mission Math helped me learn a lot, and they taught me in a fun way,” Garg said, mentioning the Blooket and Kahoot interactive activities — which turn quizzes and lessons into games — she did during the summer camp this year.
In just two years, Mission Math has expanded beyond local elementary schoolers, recruiting volunteers and students from all over the world.
“Our goal is to reach across the U.S. and internationally because the issues we see with math education are global,” said Agrawal, who now goes to Eastlake High School.
Tutors play a big role in the organization. Training for new tutors, which involves hands-on practice and constructive feedback, ensures that Mission Math maintains a supportive, student-centered environment.
“During the interview process, we ask tutors about their teaching styles to see if they align with how we do things at Mission Math. Then we train them by modeling lessons and giving them opportunities to practice in front of their peers,” Agrawal said.
Aashi Uppal and Eshaan Verma, former tutors and current co-directors of outreach, describe how teaching students at Mission Math impacted them.
“It taught me to be more patient, not just with myself but also the students,” Uppal said. “It’s taught us communication.”
“Tutoring gives you a good understanding of the different kinds of students and people that there are and how there’s different teaching styles for everybody,” Verma said. “And it really helps you adapt to different environments much quicker.”
Jayanti and Agrawal have future plans to expand Mission Math to more countries. Despite experiencing rapid growth, they remain rooted in the goal of providing free, high-quality tutoring.
“We really want to get out there because we know that we have the potential to make a difference in so many students’ lives,” Agrawal said. “Especially since we’re online, it gives us the opportunity to be accessible across the world.”
Learn more about Mission Math at their website.
