5 Questions with Huntington Learning Center’s Tanuja Deo
In an effort to get to know more about the people who make Round Rock such a great place to live, I am resurrecting a series I did years ago called “5 Questions With….” As I did in the past, I will be asking a few questions of interesting people of Round Rock – people who work hard behind the scenes, people who strive to make our city great, people who make fun events & places possible in our city, and just cool folks you need to know.
But I wanted to take it a step further and reach out to as many businesses owners in Round Rock as I can. I want to catch up with them to learn how their business is doing under these conditions. And see if & how we can help keep them in businesses. I think you will be happy to hear some of the unique ways that businesses have adapted to the changes or are making plans to offer new products and services once they do open.
How are the learning & tutoring centers in Round Rock doing? With school moved to online learning models, I am sure there is still a need (if not greater!) for tutors. So we are checking in with Tanuja Deo, who owns Huntington Learning Center here in Round Rock. They just opened a few short years ago, yet she has managed to make a big impact in Round Rock’s learning community. find out how they are managing amid the stay-at-home orders:
Answers are both from Tanuja and Regina, the center director.
What is Huntington Learning Center?
Huntington Learning Center is a K-12 tutoring and test prep business. We do 1:1 individualized tutoring to build skills, confidence and motivation.
What is the status of your business now?
Closed for in person tutoring, currently open for online tutoring.
What do you miss most about your business?
Regina: I miss the children sharing their lives with us. We got them after school or on weekends and we loved hearing about their extra curriculars and their lives. Sometimes we’d have students who struggled at school that day, but they knew that when they came to the center, they’d see other students who have similar struggles. I had many students who came and just sat in my office and talked because they needed a break from the stress of school and the expectations. I miss celebrating success with them and their families and the pride that shows on their faces when they finally understood something that was so difficult the first time. And I miss the hugs a lot.
Tanuja: I miss visiting schools, doing community events, organizing fundraisers, and bringing food/treats for my staff and teachers.
What are the plans for the future for Huntington Learning Center?
We have rolled out a brand new service in the meantime. We were very much a brick and mortar company prior to the closing, and we now have online tutoring. I’m excited because I feel like we can help more kids with this new service and it removes some of the traditional “classroom” distractions. I’m excited to be able to help students for whom our services were out of reach due to scheduling or distance from the center.
What has been a few of your favorite “at-home” activities during this time?
Regina: We work odd hours to accommodate the children after school. I’ve really enjoyed having time to work on my landscaping before it gets dark and working with my own child on his schoolwork during my lunch breaks.
Tanuja: I have also tried some new recipes with my kids.
Bonus – what’s the first thing you will do once the Stay-at-Home mandate is lifted?
Regina: This is a hard question! For the center, I’d love to have a movie evening or a pizza party (Woah, maybe both!). Personally, a haircut would be nice!
Tanuja: Pizza party sounds good!!!
Find Out How Others Round Rock Businesses Are Doing:
The Yogurt Experience’s Rebecca Darling
Mays Street Boutique’s Ashley Deli
My Party Palace’s Michelle Azuara
Mi Mundo Coffeehouse & Roastery’s Sabin Shrestha
Tammy Kay’s Boutique’s Tammy Munguia
Monster Mini Golf’s Brian & Amy Smith
The Dance Gallery’s Christine Hayes
Huntington Learning Center’s Tanuja Deo
Penfold Theatre Company
Craft & Racked Chris & Sara Freeman
Wildflower Orthodontics
Lifetime Vision Care’s Dr. Jennifer Khanh
Mathnasium of East RR’s Jennifer Faulkner
Paige’s Bakehouse – Paige Perry
The Rock/Alcove Cantina/The Flats’ Michelle Ly
Round Rock Dental Group’s Dr. Eric Hoffman
Love Barre’s Kristin Crawford
Hot Dog Marketing’s Jessica Scanlon
The Mirror & I’s Val Frazee
Renzi’s Tutoring & Guitar’s CJ & Tammy Renzi
If you are a small business who has been effected by the stay-at-home order, we’d love to hear from you to tell your story! Please email me at rebecca@roundtherocktx.com
