Making a Difference: Helping Kids Build Math Skills
Tom Robichaud ’27 put his engineering background to work tutoring New Haven middle schoolers in math.
Student: Tom Robichaud ’27
Organization: New Haven Youth Tennis & Education (New HYTEs)
What drew you to this particular volunteer opportunity?
Originally, I joined because I was looking for something to do that would get me out of the house more. I saw a post on the MBA Slack looking for math tutors for an after-school program, and jumped on it. Nationally, children’s performance in math has declined in recent years after reaching a peak pre-COVID, so I thought that anything I could do to help with that would be great.
What does a typical volunteering shift look like for you?
The program runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The students I tutor, middle-schoolers, arrive on the bus and have a brief period for snacks and mingling. Then they rotate through one-on-one math tutoring, tennis, and entrepreneurship classes. I typically end up tutoring two kids on Mondays and three on Wednesdays.
What are the values that motivate you to volunteer?
One of my biggest concerns for current and future generations is financial literacy. In the Army, I saw young adults mismanage money over and over again, permanently affecting their financial futures. Our schools don’t emphasize money management skills; we rely on parents, who themselves have often had no formal education on managing finances.
How does volunteering complement your MBA education?
I like to think that it’s furthering my understanding of the “& Society” aspect of SOM’s mission of educating leaders for business and society. It’s great to want to succeed and make money personally, but having seen firsthand the need to focus on our youth has shaped how I think about my future at the school and some of the electives I may want to take. I want to continue helping the kids here, but also make a broader impact in my future career.
What’s one surprising thing you have learned through volunteering?
The most shocking thing I’ve seen is just how much COVID has impacted the students. Kids essentially missed out on the learning that they should have received during that time period. There’s also a lot of teacher turnover in the New Haven school system and many teachers are dealing with high workloads, causing the students to miss out on additional learning.
