AEPi Alumnus Adam Shlomi of the Eta Sigma Chapter at Georgetown University founded SoFlo SAT Tutoring, an online SAT prep company. Though operating primarily over video-chat, SoFlo incorporates a people-centered model, providing high-school students with personalized support from highly-trained tutors attending top universities. The company has already served over 500 students in its first year of operations.
Before founding SoFlo, Shlomi worked as an SAT tutor for College Experts and College Vine. He learned from those experiences that students respond best when they are motivated by a personal connection with their tutor. At SoFlo, Shlomi encourages his tutors to be mentors to his students, and not just instructors. He hires primarily from a pool of current college students attending top universities who recently applied to college, seeing them as best fit to advise students going through the process currently.
“Having a tutor who I could relate to helped keep me motivated. Everyone knows that studying for the SAT is boring, so having a tutor with funny jokes and a good attitude made sessions enjoyable.” said SoFlo SAT Student Bella Ocampo.
Shlomi believes that the lessons he learned as a member of the Eta Sigma Chapter have also had a big influence on the work he does. The mentorship he received from his big brother at AEPi helped was formative for his experience at Georgetown, something he seeks to emulate with the kids that SoFlo tutors. Shlomi’s AEPi family is one of the largest in the chapter, encompassing six generations of brothers.
“The mentorship I received from the AEPi community when I was a freshman helped me get settled and succeed at Georgetown. AEPi also gave me the opportunity to be a mentor. As an upperclassman, I enjoyed helping younger students grow. Now with SoFlo, I am able to create a scalable system for mentorship and academic success” Shlomi said.
Accessibility and educational equity are central to SoFlo’s core mission. In light of this, the company offers the SoFlo SAT Scholarship, a need-based aid scholarship for low-income families. Students are encouraged to submit applications, which involve three short essays, and winners are announced monthly. The winners receive 5 tutoring sessions at a rate that meets their financial needs, often entirely free of charge.
“Money shouldn’t stop someone from achieving their dreams. After the college admissions scandal I wanted to do what I could to make a positive change. We offer the SAT scholarship so that everyone has equal opportunity.” Shlomi said.
Shlomi plans to extend the scholarship to cover 10 students each month by 2020. SoFlo funds the scholarship through its own profits in an effort to push other tutoring companies to do the same. The core aim of the company and the scholarship it offers is to change the business model and culture of tutoring companies to be more accessible and socially responsible.
As a growing venture, SoFlo already employs other AEPi members at Georgetown. Fellow brother Nate Kral has joined the team as the Director of Media Relations. Kral handles the PR and communications on behalf of the company and brings experience in journalism and digital media from his job as an investigative journalist and editor at The Hoya, Georgetown University’s newspaper of record.
“Joining SoFlo and having the opportunity to learn in a startup environment has been great. It’s really exciting to see the power that a business like this can have in improving students' lives and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Kral said.
To learn more about SoFlo SAT Tutoring please visit https://soflotutors.com
