Fun Facts

I'm a total American history nerd and can, for some reason, name every president and even vice-president ever. I swam competitively throughout high school and probably still smell a little like chlorine. A native New-Yorker, I'm super into cooking and eating obscure ethnic cuisines, especially less particularly exotic Chinese food-something that fits directly into my interest in Chinese language and culture.

About Me

I am going into my sophomore year at Stanford University, maintaining a GPA of 3.5 under a difficult course-load. My major is currently undecided, though I'm leaning toward comparative literature with a focus on East Asian language, possibly in conjunction with a creative writing minor. After graduation I may continue my education with a masters degree directed toward my goal of becoming a teacher, journalist, or (most ideally) an author-or perhaps some combination of all three.
As for my prior tutoring experience, it began in 8th grade when I volunteered through a JCC program to tutor 4th-6th graders at a New York City public school (P.S. 162) who were not making grade level in math and reading. I was also a peer tutor at my high school, which involved assisting my fellow students in subjects they struggled with where I had some degree of qualification. I tutored several sophomores and freshmen in Mandarin for two years, and a junior in history for 1.5 semesters. This involved devising personal lesson plans for my pupils and coordinating with teachers to track their progress. Here at Stanford I've worked with the Stanford Youth Debate Initiative as a debate coach for high school students at the East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, teaching kids public speaking skills and debate fundamentals.

My personality directly informs my tutoring philosophy. The principle behind both is that mastering new information is life’s most meaningful thing, but that doesn’t mean having fun along the way hurts education. In fact, all the times I’ve tutored, I’ve tried very hard to keep an enjoyable class environment. This goes back to my personality: I really value a sense of humor, and try to lighten my academic experience with appropriate levity. For example, I make sure each session keeps kids engaged by using creative measures such as songs, memory games, and contests-not just dry repetition from the textbook!