Growing up, I never had the resources that could have gone a long way for me. My own experiences in education led me to begin tutoring my 12-year-old cousin in math and science while I was in college, and being able to pick apart my cousin’s thought process and teach her how to learn gave me a passion for teaching. I love the way you can work with a student who despises learning to change their attitude and develop their confidence in the work they do.

I was born and raised in Sunnyvale, California, and attended Homestead High School. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. One of my biggest takeaways from UCSB was to take advantage of all the resources available to you: as my professors did not have individual time for hundreds of students, I developed strong relationships with my TA’s and fellow classmates, who pushed me to learn and provided support with challenging material. 

I find the practical applications of biology fascinating: we can take a sample of our own saliva and learn so much information about ourselves by utilizing very simple, procedural techniques in a lab. During college, I worked in a lab with fellow students to combine two different pieces of DNA to see what would happen. Experiments like these and discovering new applications for science is what drove me to where I am today.

At UCSB, I tutored students in neurobiology and organic chemistry to prepare for exams and complete homework. After graduation, I began working for Growing IQ, teaching a curriculum that expands upon what students learn in a regular classroom setting and endeavors to give students practical experience to open their minds to different scopes of learning. I taught classes of 6-8 students, and I learned to be flexible in my approaches to the material to both connect with my students and find the explanations that worked for them. 

My tutoring philosophy is to first assess the student’s current knowledge, their preferred style of learning, and their thought process. Equipped with this information, I am able to build on their strengths and help them overcome the challenges they’re facing. Beyond teaching content knowledge, I also believe in helping students develop effective study habits, including notetaking and using their textbooks effectively. I work with my students to apply the material they learn to their lives and to increase their comfort asking questions to gain the clarity they need and expand their learning. That said, I also want our sessions to be fun, and I hope to encourage student’s interest in science. 

When I’m not teaching, I enjoy playing basketball, going to the gym, and spending time with my family.