Volunteer tutors help students with school work, provide subject-specific learning, set up tangible semester-specific goals, increase their confidence in the classroom, and develop their English language and interpersonal skills.

The goal of Hello Neighbor’s Study Buddy Program is to support immigrant and refugee students navigate online learning, stay motivated to do their work and attend class, and empower them to build relationships, ask for help and actively plan for their future.

• The program currently only targets grades 6-12. 
• Trained volunteer tutors (ages 16-30) are matched with students to provide one on one virtual support
• Students and tutors meet twice/week for 1-3 hours in virtual sessions
• Each semester, the Study Buddy program welcomes guest speakers from local partners, provides students with training relevant to academic development, and in-person events aimed at team building

The core commitment is by semester (Fall, Spring) and 1-3 virtual hours of tutoring per week. 

Since the launch of Study Buddy, with the help of 100+ volunteer tutors, 9K tutoring hours were facilitated for 100+ immigrant and/or refugee students resulting in improved grades, confidence at school, participation in class, and trustful relationships.

Study Buddy Event Highlights 

Study Buddy End of Year Event

On Saturday, June 25, 2022 Hello Neighbor hosted Study Buddy students and tutors for an end of the year celebration at the Carnegie Science Center. The event was attended by 25 students and tutors, along with family members of students. Study Buddy students received their certificate for completing the program and cash incentives for their attendance. Everyone was able to enjoy the sights at the Science Center and Highmark SportsWorks. 

Ice Skating and Bowling 

On October 29th, Study Buddy hosted a mid-semester event for our students and tutors at Zone 28! A total of 29 students and 8 tutors joined us in a day full of laser tag, bowling, arcade games, and fostering new relationships with other students and tutors, and of course, pizza (their favorite)!

On December 18th, Study Buddy hosted an end-of-semester event for our students and tutors at Ice Castle Arena! A total of 36 students and 4 tutors joined us and had so much fun learning how to skate together while strengthening relationships with one another. We also had a guest from Strong Women Strong Girls who surprised our students with books! And, as always, we all ended the day warming up with a hot slice of pizza!

Digital Career Fair

Study Buddy's upcoming Career Fair took place April 25th and on April 26th. Finding excitement in a future career or in a future path is extremely formative and can motivate, inspire, and empower our students to achieve greater heights. Our tutors took approximately 10-12 minutes to discuss their career journey. Below is a list of our tutors who will be presenting a "day in the life" of their career, what it took to get there (i.e. schooling, internships, skills, etc.), what they love about the field in general, and anything else they may wish to add. 

A huge thank you again to our tutors for preparing the most delightful, engaging and informative presentations  Brenda S., Sophia Y., Mihir A., Annie L., Rachel A., Mark R., Mihir K, Gina M., Anjana A. 

Fields: Education, Social Studies, Medical Sciences, Engineering.

Hello Neighbor’s Got Talent

Hello Neighbor’s Mentorship and Study Buddy Programs joined together to host a talent show on January 21st — and it was such a wonderful time! Not only did participants showcase their skills and talents, but it also doubled as an opportunity to learn from one another and share each other’s music and cultures under one roof. We watched talents ranging from soccer tricks to cultural dances, and we had the chance to appreciate the wonderful art pieces made by our future Picasso’s. We all walked away from this event taking pieces of diverse cultures home with us.

Learn more about the program and how to get involved with Study Buddy as a tutor.