Inspiration
We were inspired by the idea of providing first generation low-income students with a world of resources at their disposal through a simple app. While school is accessible for most in the United States, there are many hidden costs associated with the education system that EduConnect tackles.
Features/What it does
EduConnect requires individuals to make an account using their school name and individual school ID in order to connect the students with their own community of peers and maintain safety. Our material exchange feature allows students and faculty (within the same community/school) to post gently-used materials they no longer need, which FGLI students can acquire in order to improve their academic performance. EduConnect’s resource library allows students to have access to all free websites, articles, and more, in one place, which they can use to boost their work ethic. Our app’s tutoring services feature allows FGLI students to sign up to get a tutor, who would be a student looking to gain volunteer hours. The mental health support feature includes connections to low-cost or free counseling/therapy, as well as access to anonymous peer support groups. Lastly, our community discussion posts allow students to interact with and ask and answer questions among their student community.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud of the thought and reasoning that went into the creation of EduConnect. We believe it could truly have an impact on many students across the United States. All of its features stem from a root issue that first generation low-income students face, providing solutions that will actually make a difference in the students’ lives. We hope to make this a reality soon.
What we learned
Throughout this hackathon, we learned to understand what users need. We gained insight into the unique challenges faced by First Generation, Low Income students and how to create viable solutions to combat these problems. Having a user centered approach allowed us to create features that can truly benefit the community. We also learned to understand the technical feasibility of the features that we proposed and how to create detailed plans, right from development to execution.
What's next for EduConnect
The next step is making EduConnect a reality! We will work on creating this app using the exact steps written in our implementation. We hope to expand our app by integrating it into school systems and utilizing AI.
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