We had the good fortune of connecting with Junhwan Jung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Junhwan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to make a difference in the context of differential access to quality education in the United States. This issue was brought out to me especially during the pandemic after reading articles of rich neighborhoods hiring teachers for their kids. I wanted to provide quality education for everyone and that is why I started my education nonprofit, Excelerate Inc.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Excelerate Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed by a team of high school students and college graduates to make a quality math education more accessible to those who need it. When a student enrolls in our program, they are matched to a highly qualified and trained high school volunteer who will tutor the student over the course of seven to ten weeks. Since our creation, we’ve helped over fifty students across the nation and recruited a team of over forty volunteers.

What sets us apart from other comparable nonprofits is the use of our own original curriculum, crafted to match Texas state standards and designed to maximize student growth in both standardized tests like the STAAR and school grades. Of course, one size does not fit all. Our courses adapt to individual students’ needs based on a diagnostic test taken at the start of the program. Moreover, our courses take place in a virtual setting in which both tutors and students utilize electronic writing pads and innovative software. This allows for a more interactive study environment than traditional online learning methods as well as gets rid of any timing and transportation barriers for students. Finally, following our mission, our course is completely free for over twenty hours of one-on-one tutoring sessions, the custom curriculum, formal analysis reports of student growth, and much more.

One of the most common questions we get is about the level of students who take our course. Our course is open to any middle school students, no matter course level. For students who are struggling in class or want to maintain their current grades, our volunteers can help provide a better understanding of fundamentals as well as incorporate your current school curriculum into ours. On the other hand, students who want to get ahead of their peers in school can be placed in a higher Excelerate course level. Our courses will adapt to what you and your child are looking for.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to the Downtown Dallas area. There is a lot of good food and always a lot of fun things to do such as parks, museums, and concerts.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Starting a nonprofit organization is obviously not something that I could have done all by myself. I was luckily surrounded by great friends and mentors that allowed me to continue my mission. Specifically, my executive team members have helped me build, maintain, and expand Excelerate Inc. I also want to thank the college graduates in our board that constantly gave us advice and offered help. Finally, our team of tutors is integral to our program, and it’s their hard work and service that allow us to follow our mission.

Website: https://www.excelerateinc.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excelerate.inc/

Image Credits
Excelerate Inc.

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