Meet Aadish Kachhal | CEO of Educational Nonprofit & Student in South Florida

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

Hi Aadish, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My parents and I first immigrated to the United States a few months after I was born. Alongside the obvious cultural barriers we had to overcome to assimilate into American society, I struggled to acclimate to the US education system. Thankfully, by reaching out to my peers, teachers, and administrators I was prepared to enter my high school years. However, I knew many students could not say the same.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, undoubtedly, education suffered immensely. Classroom online learning proved less effective and engaging to students across the board, leaving many students months behind in math and English. Coupling this event with my own experiences motivated me to set up an innovative educational support program to help those most vulnerable in my community experiencing similar challenges.

This is where Learn With Peers was born, and the program has grown ever since!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Learn With Peers (LWP) is the easy, free, and effective way to learn; we provide K-12 students with accessible, quality, one-on-one tutoring online and give tutors the opportunity to become community leaders.

Unlike typical educational organizations, Learn With Peers utilizes a flexible scheduling setup for both tutees and tutors. Once tutees sign up on our website (www.learn-with-peers.com) through a short Google Form, they immediately receive an email through our customized automatic email system. Parents or students simply have to respond to that email with the times the tutee would like to be tutored based on their schedule. From there, our coordination directors take over the rest of the process.

We also prioritize a friendly and accommodating environment for our volunteers. This involves introducing volunteers to the program and asking them to choose who they want to work with based on a tutee’s grade level, subjects they struggle with, and preferred tutoring times. Afterward, they are given ample resources or tools they can use while tutoring. In essence, I want tutors to feel as comfortable as possible when tutoring – an environment unique to LWP.

In addition, we introduced intensive, online summer workshops that allow volunteers to become community leaders by asking them to design a curriculum that matches their passions or academic strengths. They learn countless management skills, such as creativity, responsibility, communication, and problem-solving, necessary to become leaders in their professional careers. We have hosted 25 workshops over 2 years, teaching over 225 students.

The organization’s growth plan has changed drastically since 2020. Due to liability issues, county officials initially turned us down to integrate our initiative into a local elementary school. Nevertheless, we recognized the importance of our initiative in the local community. We decided to change our growth strategy to directly advertise our mission to the community. Following our first pilot program of 15 students and encouraging parent feedback, we decided to take a leap of faith to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Since our start, we have helped 600+ students in 52 schools nationally through one-on-one sessions, summer workshops, SAT/ACT/PSAT classes, and high school webinars. Volunteers have spent 3000+ hours tutoring, teaching, and exemplifying leadership skills. Students, volunteers, and I have grown significantly since our start. I have personally developed communication, delegation, organizational, and networking skills essential to managing our 100+ strong team and building partnerships with elementary schools.

Now, I continue to learn, engage, and develop LWP, hopefully leaving my mark on the community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would first take my best friend to downtown Miami to explore areas like the Bayside Marketplace, where we could enjoy good music, a lively environment, and a shopping center. Afterward, we would walk around downtown and grab dinner at one of the many cafes.

The next day, we would probably head to the Wynwood neighborhood, where we could explore the beautiful murals all over the area and window shop at local mom-and-pop shops. Afterward, we would head to Miami Beach in the evening to watch the sunset and grab food at a local restaurant. I would try to take Instagram-worthy posts for them to use after the trip 🙂

On the last day, I would plan to spend the day closer to home by playing minigolf or walking over to the pool before driving to my local town center marketplace for food. Of course, on the way there, we would listen and sing along to our favorite music in the car at full volume.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Learn With Peers would not be successful without our team of volunteers. They consistently dedicate 1-2 hours weekly to tutor students around their hectic schedules. We are very fortunate for their support and participation in all the programs we offer.

In addition, we are incredibly grateful to all the parents who have stayed with the program from its start. We appreciate their heartwarming feedback and use it as inspiration.

Of course, we would not be where we are without our incredible board and all the administrators, teachers, and community leaders who have helped build Learn With Peers. We hope to continue building a strong connection with our local community in the future!

Website: https://www.learn-with-peers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learn_with_peers/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/learnwithpeers?trk=ppro_cprof