Christopher Apel

Biography

If you had asked my younger self, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” the answer you would almost always get would have been: “a scientist.” I knew I wanted to make an impact on the world with science so after graduating high school, I attended UC Davis to study Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During my first quarter there, I experienced my first college-level chemistry class and I started to doubt myself. My self-doubt only grew as each class got progressively harder and I began to fall behind. I thought that since I was struggling so much with these subjects, maybe they weren’t meant for me.

But it was during one of my psychology classes under the mentorship of a fantastic professor that I realized two important things. First, everyone has the capacity to learn and excel in anything they put their mind and effort into. The human brain is wired to adapt and acquire knowledge, so it is just a matter of finding the right way for the individual to learn in order to succeed. Second, the most valuable thing one can do with scientific knowledge is to educate others.

These revelations not only helped me to rise to the challenge of my classes, but they also led me to a job as an Orientation Team Lead for UC Davis. In this role. I mentored and coached the new Orientation Leaders for the program by facilitating training modules on conflict resolution, group dynamics, and adaptive leadership. I learned how to read individual learning styles and how to build others’ confidence which I applied to my newfound aspirations to become an educator.

I hope to build confidence in my students and to show them that their potential is limitless no matter the subject or goal they wish to achieve. Everyone has their own unique way of learning and achieving success and it is my goal to help my students find their personal path.

When I’m not tutoring you will most likely be able to find me at any rock climbing gym or playing a game of pick-up soccer within a 20-miles radius. If I want to relax you can find me at home cooking cuisines I’ve never tried, playing new video games, or reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.