Colin O'Rourke

Biography

One question I’ve always had trouble turning down is “Can you help me with this problem?” I love problem-solving, I always want to have a deeper understanding of the ‘how’ and ‘why’, and I find helping people with their problems is one of the best ways to make a lasting connection. So I’ve always gravitated towards roles that involve teaching. I am the friend who explains the board game rules, the volunteer Speech & Debate coach, and the author of several un-requested Video Game walkthroughs.

Growing up, while attending Leland High School in south San Jose, I spent a lot of time helping my friends with their math homework. People I know would ask me to help them better understand Math problems and programming assignments. After graduating, I went to UC Santa Cruz where I earned my BS in Computer Science, and found many more opportunities to teach.

My first college job was working as a Peer Mentor at the UCSC Summer Academy, helping incoming freshmen acclimate to college life. I spent another summer at ID Tech as a virtual camp instructor, teaching young students an introduction to programming. And I spent my entire senior year of college as a Teaching Assistant because my professors had noticed how much time I had spent in the class chatrooms answering my classmate’s questions.

All of these experiences have given me time working with a variety of students, and brought me to this role at AJ Tutoring. I have always been drawn to logical thinking like Math and Programming, and deeply enjoyed learning Pre-Calculus, Calculus and more advanced math in College, even when the material sometimes challenged me. I am excited to help new students become more confident in their own problem-solving abilities, and find the joy of learning topics that might be outside their comfort zone.

Outside of tutoring, I spend probably a little too much time at my desk! I’m a big gamer (and in particular a Pokemon Collector), but I also spend a lot of my time programming websites and games. When I’m not at my desk, I like to practice cooking, and visit my family in Santa Cruz.