When Ricardo Rosales attended Jefferson High School a mere decade ago, he didn’t realize the huge impact education could make in his life. Now, nine years later, with a college degree and three jobs on two continents on his resume, Rosales realized that he had missed out on educational opportunities in high school because he wasn’t aware of the tools available outside of Jefferson. To help give students an educational upper hand that he didn’t have, Rosales and his partner Sravya Vishnubhatla launched Admit Guru, a free, online SAT/ACT prep course that not only serves as a guide for standardized testing, but also connects students across the city and the country.
“For students who aren’t familiar with the SAT or ACT, the way questions are asked can be really confusing,” said Vishnubhatla. “We teach students tips and tricks so that when they see certain types of questions, they break the questions down and find the correct answer.”
The pair just finished up the first of two scheduled test prep sessions. The three-week course had 25 students from both San Antonio and Seattle learning together in a virtual environment.
Rosales runs the administrative side of the prep course, setting up Zoom meetings, marketing the course, and reaching out to potential partners, which is how San Antonio ISD learned of the free test prep opportunity. With an easy smile, laid back personality, and years of tutoring under her belt, Vishnubhatla is the perfect teacher. And it doesn’t hurt that she went to MIT and had perfect scores on the SAT, ACT, and three SAT subject matter tests.
“There are a lot of kids who have super-high potential and are super interested in doing well for themselves,” said Vishnubhatla. “Oftentimes, there are blockers that don’t let them achieve their potential. We wanted to help reduce those barriers.”
Vishnubhatla said that something as simple as a student’s parents being immigrants and not being familiar with the U.S. educational system can be a barrier to obtaining high test scores or admission to private universities.
“I think that is something that Ricardo and I could bond on,” she said. “Education in India is totally different. The things that are emphasized are different, the way you apply to college is different. What happens is kids in middle and high school want to go to these fancy schools and do well but they don’t know how, and they don’t have someone to work with them to figure it out. Our goal is to help them achieve their educational dreams.”
In addition to working through standardized testing questions with the students, Vishnubhatla and Rosales provide students with a free resume review service and office hours to drill down on questions the students may have about testing or any other topic.
Bryan Lopez, a rising senior at Burbank High School, plans to attend college after he graduates, which is one reason why he recently decided to take the online SAT/ACT prep course.
“I was invited by one of my college-bound advisors to join the group and was told that the course would help me to get a better score and a better understanding of the SAT,” said Lopez. “This online prep course makes it easy to understand the process of taking the SAT and by getting a higher score it means more colleges would take an interest in you.”
Burbank rising senior Jacqueline Campos says that the program has given her a better understanding of the SAT and how she should tackle the test.
“The prep showed me new strategies and the different skills that I should apply when taking the test,” she said. “The program really broke down the test in a way that I was able to comprehend how the questions were being presented. I am thankful for the wonderful opportunity and the alumni that made this prep possible.”
Vishnubhatla and Rosales currently live in Seattle. Rosales works as a lead product analyst at a technology startup, and Vishnubhatla works as a product manager at Microsoft and tutors students on the side.
“I think the most gratifying thing about the course so far is the feedback we have been getting from the students and seeing in their own words how this is having an impact on them,” said Rosales. “How grateful they are to have something like this available; that is why we do it.”
According the Rosales and Vishnubhatla, the students who took the June course increased an average of 15 percentile points from the beginning to the end of the program.
“This is like starting from a 70 percent and ending at an 85 percent,” said Rosales. “This is a huge jump when it comes to standardized testing. We're really proud of how far these kids have come and the 15 percent improvement is a testament to what our course can do for them.”
Rosales and Vishnubhatla will be starting their second SAT/ACT Crash Course in July, which is open to all SAISD middle and high school students. The class runs July 6-22 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. To sign up for the free course, click here. For tips, tricks and updates regarding high school planning and college admissions, follow Rosales and Vishnubhatla on Instagram and Twitter.
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Are you an alumnus like Ricardo looking to give back? SAISD Nation is here for you! The newly formed group is for alumni, former SAISD employees and members of the the greater San Antonio community who want to support the success of students SAISD.
SAISD Nation is free and a great way to connect or reconnect, as well as being a great source of information about fellow grads, alumni events, celebrations of current students, alumni, and SAISD staff. If you are looking to connect and give back like Ricardo, SAISD Nation can show you how to connect with current students and teachers.
