Meet Kush Bhatia of 901 Tutoring that Offers Free ACT Prep

Kush is a 17 year old community outreach liaison of 901 Tutoring, a new program run by students, for students that offers free ACT prep assistance. We talked with him about his senior year, Memphis, and how he and his friends created 901 Tutoring.

Q1: Kush - what are you excited about most as you're beginning your senior year of high school?

I am most excited about seeing what colleges all my friends will end up at the end of the year. We all have worked hard these past four years and being so close to the finish line is just a surreal feeling. I also hope to make the best of online learning and still create memories that I will be able to remember forever.

Q2: How do you best enjoy Memphis?

Memphis truly is one big family. From my favorite chicken wings named Bosses to watching Ja Morant posterize his opponents through electric dunks, there really are so many ways to enjoy Memphis. I love being outside, so Shelby Farms is one of my favorite spots in the city where I am able to go play frisbee, ride bikes, or just relax with friends. Also, Memphis is a city full of rich history and learning about new things—even after living here my entire life—is one of my favorite things as well.

Q3: Tell us a little bit about how you and your friends from White Station High School came up with 901 Tutoring and the timeline of idea to reality.

This idea was first brought up by one of my friends named Andy Chai. He saw a need within our school to create an opportunity for students to receive help with these standardized tests while many people are stuck at home. The idea came into fruition when the ACT was cancelled for several students in the month of July here in Memphis and the surrounding area. We came together as a small group of 8 friends and started coming up with ideas to see if we could offer free tutoring services to students so they could be prepared whenever the next ACT/SAT would be offered. Soon enough, we came into contact with our principal and started planning ways to get involved within our school and eventually branch out to other schools and organizations here in Memphis.

Q4: What does success look like for 901 Tutoring?

Success to us is knowing that we were able to create a positive change within our community. Knowing we helped a great number of students raise their scores by even a minute number is something we look forward to accomplishing. Also, with a team of nearly 15 tutors, our different backgrounds and knowledge on different ways to continue to improve our service is something we are proud about and we look forward to making everything bigger and better.

Q5: What are 901 Tutoring's current needs?

With school just now getting into the swing of things this week and students becoming accustomed to virtual learning, we knew we were not going to receive students to tutor immediately. Our main goal is to branch out to students in the city who need this kind of aid and support in their standardized testing journey. We are here to help students from freshmen year to senior year and having practice sessions with 10-15 students every time would allow us to feel as if we truly are making an impact in our community!

If you know of a high schooler looking for FREE ACT Prep help, please reach out to 901 Tutoring today!