William McKinney

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and grew up knowing I wanted to be a part of the engineering and technology culture of Silicon Valley. I combined my love of building hands-on projects with an in-demand degree when I chose to study mechanical engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. I became the project lead of a CubeSatellite program, where I guided the development of CubeSatellites to conduct scientific missions in low earth orbit, and a mechanism lead for the Rose Float club. I also completed two semesters of research and self-authored a research paper based on my findings. I then transferred to Boise State University where I engaged in hands-on projects in the machine shop and served as the mechanical team leader of the robotics club, a teaching assistant for Thermo/Fluids II, and the leader of my senior project.

I first picked up tutoring during early high school by volunteering at the local library. I enjoyed the process of teaching my students proper study habits and watching them develop and improve their grades. I continued to create and lead study groups, tutor other students, and be a teaching assistant in college. I learned that most students seeking tutoring need someone to believe in them and help organize and motivate their study sessions.

As a physics and calculus tutor for AJ Tutoring, I help high school students develop a richer understanding of the material. The 1-on-1 environment provides the perfect ingredients to facilitate students’ progress by allowing me to adjust to their needs and goals. I enjoy incorporating physical examples and challenging practice problems into sessions to demonstrate concepts and to help students both relate more to the material and understand its importance and relevance in the real world. When my students win, I also win by watching them succeed!

When I am not tutoring, you will find me building personal engineering projects, gaming, programming, and watching obscure movies.