Fun Facts

Performing arts are my secret passion. Although I've never been interested in a career in any of these disciplines, I've studied singing, dancing, acting, and a few musical instruments at various times my whole life. I especially love singing--my family sings songs at every holiday or special event, and I think I got my love of singing from them. I try to always be participating in a choir. I've even had the chance to travel internationally with my high school choir and sing in some amazing and

About Me

I am a recent graduate of UC Berkeley with a B.S. in environmental studies. I spent a lot of my college career taking classes in the social sciences, refining my writing, research, and analytical skills, but I was more of a math person in high school, and I've kept up my math skills through college economics and statistics classes. I am currently working part-time for a non-profit called People's Grocery in Oakland. The non-profit provides nutritional education, leadership support, and discounted fresh vegetables, for low income individuals and families, and maintains a large garden in West Oakland.

I have spent a lot of time informally tutoring friends, classmates, and my younger brother. I have done everything from helping edit essays to re-teaching concepts and skills that didn't get across in class. I think my most important tutoring was with my younger brother. I often had to step in when getting help from our parents ended up in fights, so I would get a frustrated and angry student from the start. I had to learn how to bring him down from that place to a state of mind where he was actually able to listen and learn, without wasting too much time.

I think it is important to have very individualized tutoring. Students get pre-prepared lessons in class, what they need from a tutor is someone who knows exactly which part of a lesson they do not understand or need more help with, and I think that is exactly what I am good at. I make a point of listening very carefully to questions so that I answer them specifically, and then adapt tutoring to make sure the student understands my answer. I also think it is important to communicate with the student about how they are feeling and how their day was, as a student in a fairly good mood is probably going to need a slightly different approach than a student who is sad or upset about something.