Greeley Alumni Spend Summer Running SAT Prep Start Up

This summer, Cheryl Cho and Isabel Reich are learning what it takes to start their own business operation, in the form of an SAT prep service.

Not only will they tutor, but their jobs entail marketing, sales and advertising, which Cho said is “essentially starting a franchise.”

Their service is a branch for a company called Revolution Prep, which offers similar services nationally. They are specifically working at its Ivy Insiders program, which promises a prep service that combines small class sizes with an intensive routine.

The two are 2010 Horace Greeley High School graduates and feel that teaching high school students close to their age will be an asset for their service.

“We know how stressed they are,” Cho said. “We know what they can relate to, what they hate.”

“There’s an element of sympathy,” Reich said.

They will make money by charging for tutoring sessions, which will be broken down by small groups and held from early July to early August. They will each run their own classes, which will entail 18 hours of tutoring and five practice exams. Their goal is to sign up 25-30 students.

“It’s almost like a high-intensity workout,” Reich said about the program, which will run for a short three-week period. The two will hold classes during different parts of the day, tailored toward students with different schedules. They are currently seeking out people who are interested, and have reached out locally to parents to learn if their children are interested.

Cho and Reich first became interested in the program during the school year, when Revolution Prep was recruiting at their schools; Cho attends Cornell University, while Reich is a student at Columbia University. While their interest in the program was coincidental, when they discovered that they were each doing it, it helped in their decision to do so.

Tutoring is nothing new for them. While they were in high school, Reich and Cho helped out at a group called Renaissance EMS (it stands for Education, Music, Sports). The group offers services to underprivileged children that include academic support, music lessons and playing a sport.

Entrepreneurialism also runs in their families. Cho said that her father started a lighting business, while her brother started CampusAmp.com, which helps students find out about college events. Reich’s father started a business in the insurance field, while her mother started HomingCloud, a website that helps people find apartments to rent.

Cho and Reich hope to give back to the community with their work. When asked what they hope to get out of it, Cho stated it was the business experience, while Reich said she wants to get self motivation out of it, out of the tasks that involve doing things herself.

Two free practice exams will be held at the Chappaqua Library (on June 26 at 1 p.m. and July 6 at 9 a.m.) and there will be a free SAT success workshop with tips on June 30 at 7 p.m., also at the library. People with questions can email Cho at cheryl_cho@ivyinsiders.com or Reich at isabel_reich@ivyinsiders.com.