Need help with high school homework? Medical students to the rescue

Parents, teachers and students are finding out that remote learning can be a challenge. Medical students at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine are trying to give them a little hope by creating HOPE.

In response to the shift to distance learning as a result of COVID-19, medical students created Helping Out Public Education (HOPE). The virtual tutoring service launched this week in collaboration with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS). 

“We always think about how we can give back. We have chosen a career where we can do that every day in the hospital setting. Right now, understandably, we can’t be in the hospital, but we are still seeking ways to help,” said Matthew Hey, a third-year medical student and the project’s lead organizer.

“We recognize the importance of education as social mobility," he says. "And we remember how many people helped to get us where we are today. We hope we can do a small part in paying that forward.”

Hey, the president of the Medical Student Council, is one of 45 FIU medical students who signed up as volunteer tutors. HOPE tutoring sessions cover a wide range of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) subjects. These include chemistry, physics, calculus, history, literature, six languages, even piano lessons.

“It is during moments like these, at a time when we are all confronting new challenges, that the best of humanity becomes evident. We are proud to join forces with this group of brilliant minds,” said MDCPS Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho.

High school students may schedule a virtual personal tutoring session with an FIU tutor 7-days-a-week, from 3-8 p.m. by visiting www.go.fiu.edu/HOPE .

“Now, more than ever, it is clear that altruism is the very core of the medical profession," said Dr. Robert Sackstein, HWCOM dean and senior vice president for Health Affairs. "I am extremely proud of our students, and I am not surprised that they have taken it upon themselves to establish a volunteer tutoring program for the M-DCPS students. Caring is in their blood, and that is exactly why they will be exemplary physicians.” 

*All volunteer tutors have passed a Level 2 federal background check and hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. M-DCPS STEAM team members will also participate in the Zoom sessions.