Combining Language and Math for the Greater Good

Georgia Tech computer science students and brothers, Christopher and Stephen Linder have been using their math skills and passion for the Russian language to teach Ukrainian refugees through the Tutoring Without Borders program.

Tutoring Without Borders is an independent platform helping to connect Ukrainian citizens in need of academic help with potential instructors or tutors.

“The opportunity to work with Tutoring Without Borders has been amazing. It’s been a great way to combine language and math, which are two completely different things, into something very meaningful,” Stephen said.

The first-year students grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and say that Georgia Tech was always their dream school — even though both of their parents went to UGA, which makes for a bit of lighthearted controversy in the family.

Christopher and Stephen both came to Tech as math majors but quickly gravitated toward computer science, finding in that discipline an appealing way to use math to solve tangible problems.

The computer science majors first became interested in Russian in high school. Both brothers were learning the violin, and their instructor was Russian. “He would always say little phrases in Russian, and one day our dad jokes and says, ‘Hey, why don’t you study Russian so you can be taught in Russian by your teacher?’” Christopher recalled.

What began as a joke inspired the brothers to enroll in Russian language courses in their first year of high school. They are now thinking about adding a Russian major to their resumes.

The Linders’ love of the Russian language has only deepened, and with the war in Ukraine, they felt compelled to help. “We felt a responsibility to help in some way because of our ability to communicate in Russian,” Stephen said.

Sharing their concerns with their Russian language teacher, they discovered  that math tutors are needed in Ukraine. Their teacher introduced them to Tutoring Without Borders, an independent platform connecting Ukrainian citizens with potential tutors.

Since June 2022, Christopher has been tutoring a young woman whose family was forced to move to Hungary. Stephen tutors two siblings who have been displaced to England. Regardless of where students are located, the brothers find time to assist them with their math — and even with their English.

Christopher and Stephen both note the challenges of teaching something technical in a different language, in addition to the emotional toll it can take working with students whose lives have been uprooted. Both continue to be passionate about helping and have no plans to stop anytime soon.

“I think just knowing that we can be there to provide some stability is very rewarding. And for me, personally, just getting to learn about my students and learn about their lives is something not many people are able to experience,” Christopher said.