I was born and raised in Redwood City and went to Menlo High School, where I played baseball and football all four years. After high school I attended the University of Redlands. There, I received a BS in mathematics and a minor in Spanish. While in college, I participated in multiple intramural sports including football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and even life jacket water polo.

My interest in mathematics arose in my first year of college from how easy it seemed at the start. I found as things became more complicated, however, that I liked trying to push through the tough problems. The thing that I enjoy most about math is that there is a clear, definitive answer, unlike in some other subjects.

At the University of Redlands I was a tutor in mathematics for three years and worked with many different students and was also a peer advisor for a sports statistics class. I also independently tutored two students off campus, one of whom was in high school and the other in college. Through these experiences I learned so much about tutoring and helping students understand and learn the material well. I found that connecting with my students helped the sessions progress more easily and made a more comfortable environment for learning.

While I’m tutoring, I like to check in periodically to make sure the student understands the material that they’re learning. I will ask my students if they understand the way I explained a concept or problem, and if they don’t, I try another approach until we find the explanation that works for them. I want to ensure that the student is able to complete similar problems to the ones that they struggled with so they can do it on their own. To help with all of this, I try to get to know the student better while tutoring and adapt to their style of learning.

When not tutoring, I enjoy watching and playing sports in my free time and really enjoy watching basketball in particular. I also like to do outdoor and leisure activities like mini golf, bowling, and playing videogames.