Alex Balfanz

Biography

As a graduate of UC Berkeley, the importance of education is always on my mind. In high school, I had a knack for math and writing, taking advanced calculus courses and editing my school paper. I utilized my skills to assist my peers with their schoolwork, as well as to give feedback on college entrance essays. However, once I entered college, I realized that I, too, would need tutoring if I wanted to fulfill my potential academically. Coding proved especially difficult, but with the right help I ended up graduating with a degree in Data Science! 

Now, I recognize that every step of my education has prepared me for the next one. At AJ Tutoring, I love assisting students in building the educational foundations they need for success in high school, college, and life, whether I’m facilitating a deeper understanding of the logic behind algebra, or illustrating the importance of structure in argumentative essays.

In addition to tutoring and editing, I also created and taught a small class at Berkeley in my final semester. The subject, ambient music, is a personal passion of mine, and my goal was to foster a similar passion in my students. In tutoring, my aim is the same. While learning by rote may produce results in the short term, I know from firsthand experience that burnout is a very real possibility. Instead, I try to teach in a way that allows students to connect with the material, so that they feel they’ve understood and mastered it, rather than merely memorizing it. By cultivating a deeper understanding, my students can carry what they’ve learned throughout their lives. 

Outside of tutoring, my biggest passion is the arts. I enjoy watching films and relaxing with a good book. But, more than anything, I love music. I collect it, study it, write it, play it, produce it, teach it, and even DJ on occasion!