Fun Facts

I can spin a frisbee on my index finger, even upside down!
I have played piano for 10 years.
I love to travel and try to explore new places whenever I can.
I'm an avid amateur photographer, and love taking my camera with me wherever I can!

About Me

My name is James, and I'm a rising senior at UC San Diego double majoring in General Biology and Public Health. I have been on the Dean's List for every academic quarter except for one, and once I graduate, I plan on completing a Masters Degree, either in Public Health or Global Health/Medicine. After that, I aspire to go to medical school and become a primary care physician. I want my eventual career to include aspects of teaching, medicine, and public health policy.

Last year, I served as a tutor for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at Montgomery Middle School in the LInda Vista neighborhood of San Diego. I would spend 4-8 a week at the school and in the classrooms. I tutored a biology class, an earth science class, and an American History class. I was able to engage both in one-on-one tutoring with students, as well as work the with entire class at a time, designing and implementing the 8th grade final project, a mock debate between students. The experience was especially rewarding for me because I was able to complement my time in class tutoring, with a UCSD course that I was taking in the Education Studies department about secondary school education policy.

My approach to tutoring first depends on the student themselves. Every student learns differently, and the first thing that I try to assess is how each student likes to learn, and build off of that. After that, I like to ask the student their perceived strengths and weaknesses with regards to the subject material. At the end of the tutoring session, or by the next tutoring session, I like to check in again with what they feel comfortable with and what they are still struggling with so that both I and the student themselves can see progress made.
Successful tutoring starts with listening to the students and their families and being flexible and patient during the tutoring process. Most of all, I believe a successful tutoring partnership must be built upon a foundation of mutual respect.