Brendan Lin

Biography

Growing up in San Jose, I always had a fascination with how the natural world around us worked. I thrived outside asking questions while crouching over tide pools or peering up at redwood trees. This innate curiosity led me to study Microbiology at the University of Rochester and my future pursuit of medical school.

During undergrad and some time after, I worked as a researcher studying antibiotics and drug discovery. It was there that I grew a tangible appreciation for life sciences beyond a textbook, creative problem solving, and persistence. I grew to love science even more because of how much left there is to discover and how perfectly imperfect biology can be. I also developed immense gratification working with high school interns and underclassmen to support them in asking questions and testing their theories. Youth mentorship taught me so much that I looked for opportunities fully dedicated to it. Last summer, I joined Americorps as a Youth Expedition Leader in Montana and guided high schoolers from all backgrounds in the Rocky Mountain wilderness for lengthy stretches. Here, I learned the confidence-building and communication skills that became the basis of my teaching philosophy.

Since everybody learns differently, I believe in tailoring an approach to best serve each student. Science can be complex, but breaking down each concept into digestible chunks can make even the most difficult mechanisms an exciting lesson! Rote memorization is surface level, instead, I believe in deep understanding. Arriving there can take many forms, like relatable analogies or drawn out whiteboard diagrams.

When I’m not tutoring, you can find me outside backpacking, flyfishing, or lifting weights. Being waist deep in a river or roasting marshmallows around a campfire never fails to bring fresh perspective or keep me grounded. Also, Go Bills.