Brandon Bailey encountered a lack of diversity and inclusion in tech and pursued community partnerships to broaden educational access. He worked with a Bronzeville middle school where students lacked exposure to downtown experiences and career opportunities. That program provided experiential learning, internships, and motivated Bailey to scale impact. While developing an edtech approach, Bailey identified home computer connectivity as a barrier but noted widespread cellphone access among students. He chose a mobile-first design to meet students where they are and founded TutorD to enable distance learning for teachers and tutors with community value and trust as priorities.
Bailey worked at a consultancy in Chicago at the time, and as co-lead for one of the firm's employee resource groups, he partnered with a couple of community-based organizations. One partnership was with a middle school in Bronzeville. The school was located about 15 minutes from Bailey's home, but the students "had a totally different lived experience," the founder recalls. Many of the kids had never been on an escalator or inside a skyscraper despite living just minutes from downtown. Related: Technology Opens the Door for Entrepreneurs to Achieve the Triple Bottom Line The program helped the students have those experiences and access internships and other opportunities. "That gave me this drive and passion for the educational experience and helping facilitate it," Bailey says. "It changed my life. I know it changed [their lives]."
When considering the platform or tool that could accomplish that, Bailey noted one significant obstacle: There was an issue of connectivity for students who didn't have access to computers in their homes. However, most students did have cellphones, so Bailey decided to meet the students where they were and build for those. Related: How DEI and Sustainability Can Grow Your Triple Bottom Line "We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in."
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