Matthias Fisseha

Biography

I was born in Ethiopia, but I’ve spent most of my life in Hayward. I attended California State University, East Bay, where I received my BS in computer engineering with a minor in math. I’ve had a passion for math since elementary school, and I am drawn to math and engineering because I love problem solving.

While in college, I became a tutor at the university tutoring center. There, I fell in love with tutoring and with helping others. I saw how the students struggled with math, and I loved being able to help them improve their math skills and be successful in their classes. I worked at the tutoring center for over six years and gained a lot of experience tutoring students one-on-one, though an online platform, and in small group settings. Over the years, I created several handouts for student reference, helped develop workshops on the specific topics that students most commonly struggled with, and participated in interviewing and mentoring new tutors. It was a great experience that made me want to pursue tutoring as a full-time career.

During my years of tutoring, I’ve learned to be patient and to be flexible. I know that students have different learning styles, and patience allows me to listen and observe where each student is in their class, understand their skill level, and adjust to their needs. Being patient also helps me take things slow without getting frustrated if a student doesn’t understand right away. My goal as a tutor isn’t to finish a particular assignment or get the answers to specific questions, but to help students develop the resources and the skills they need to be able to complete their tasks independently. This means that even when a student doesn’t understand immediately, I try not to just give the student the right answer, as that’s not what tutoring is about.

In my free time, I enjoy streaming my favorite shows and challenging myself with recipes for different types of baked goods.