Pia Dihayco

Biography

I love tutoring because I enjoy helping students turn challenging material into something they feel confident tackling. I strive to cultivate a judgment-free environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and learning at their own pace. I know firsthand how helpful it can be to have a supportive environment when working through difficult material, and I want to provide that same experience for my students.

I earned my B.S. from UC San Diego in molecular and cell biology, with a minor in computational social science. I’m especially excited to tutor AP Biology and AP Chemistry at AJ, sharing my passion for biology, chemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. My college experiences of attending office hours and seeking support from professors and teaching assistants helped me become more confident in asking for help and working through challenging material. Those experiences have shaped the way I approach tutoring today.

My background working with students includes both academic and community settings, such as serving as a K–12 STEM camp facilitator and in student-facing roles at UC San Diego. My approach is to meet students where they are, break complex concepts into manageable pieces, and focus on understanding and reasoning, rather than rote memorization. I hope to help my all my students become more confident and independent learners, coming from a personal understanding of how daunting science can seem initially. 

Outside of tutoring, I enjoy baking, trying new matcha or coffee cafés, singing, and spending time with family and friends. Growing up partly in Singapore also sparked my interest in languages and different cultures.