Anna D.

Anna is a proud Colorado Native. When Anna was young, she decided she wanted to be able to communicate with everyone on Earth. Pursuing that dream, Anna graduated from MSU Denver with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish and French. She is currently working on her Master’s degree in Curriculum Development.

Anna recently moved back to Colorado after teaching English and Exam Prep in Egypt for seven years. Teaching and living abroad brought Anna’s passion for exploring other cultures and learning their languages to life. Today, she speaks seven languages and has visited over 40 countries!

In her spare time, Anna loves spending time with her family and running (albeit slowly). One day, she hopes to run the Leadville 100 and do a marathon along the Great Wall of China.

Sean M.

Sean McJunkins II has been a teacher for 8 plus years, working in a variety of roles and managing a litany of responsibilities. He first obtained his English and Africana (an interdisciplinary study of the world from an African perspective) double major from Rutgers University. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s in special education, with only his practicum hours remaining. This allows for Mr. McJunkins to provide a number of services and further apply his years of experience in co taught and other varied environments for diverse learners. Growing up in New Jersey, he long has enjoyed the season and outdoors, promoting his move to the Midwest to further serve students who historically have experienced disenfranchisement systemically. In this productive struggle, he found that the classroom was useful, but many students needed support in a more specific manner. Sean hopes to help close that gap through providing his services to families and believes that all work and progress begins with trust and relationships. He is excited to apply these virtues in his work with families and stakeholders.

A majority of his experience has been focused on high school aged children, but his ability is not limited to only older scholars. In his time as a lead teacher in the Chicagoland area, he has created, proliferated, and redressed in person SAT, ACT, and Core Curriculum standardized mastery assessments. Mr. McJunkins’ deep understanding of standards and scaffolding of skills has served numerous communities well, and he brings that same tenacity to the needs of our scholars and clients. He enjoys playing various instruments like guitar, drums, and piano, as well sharing his deep understanding of all music genres. As a lifetime scholar himself, Sean McJunkins II is excited to learn from and teach those who are seeking guidance towards their best self and highest potential.

LYDIE K.

Lydie has been teaching English and Humanities at Notre Dame School in Manhattan for eighteen years. She has also worked as an instructor for several middle school enrichment programs including the SEEDS Scholars Program of New Jersey and the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Additionally, she has an extensive background as a tutor of multiple subjects. Lydie has a Bachelor’s of English with a minor in Linguistics from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She also has a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College. She is an experienced curriculum innovator and developer, implementing many original courses in schools and programs throughout her career. She is a particularly skilled college essay advisor, coaching students through the writing and editing process and making sure they get the right word count! She is 100% certain that all students have the ability to become strong writers with practice and encouragement. Lydie feels that one of the most important aspects of teaching is showing students how to cultivate their authentic voices so that they can write with confidence, conviction and sophistication. She believes in academic rigor, scrutinizing literary texts for profound meaning, and insightful student-generated discussion. She is both a challenging and compassionate educator. Above all, she believes that students learn from each other just as much as they do from their teachers. Outside of teaching, Lydie is an avid reader, loves watching the CBS Sunday Morning show with her husband and playing with her funny cat, Boots.

Patrick G.

Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Patrick loved learning new things. This led to things like a robotics competition in grade school, and the quick recall team in high school. Over the years, that love of learning has grown into a love of teaching.

After graduating a year early with a double major in Political Science and English literature from Xavier University, Patrick entered the world of teaching. That experience was so rewarding, he went back to Xavier to earn a Master’s degree in English literature.

Since then, Patrick has taught and tutored in a variety of settings, from ESL classes to College level courses. While his strengths are in the literary arts, Patrick has tutored a variety of subjects, including Math, Science, History, and Spanish from the Elementary to High School level.

Patrick wholeheartedly believes anything can be accomplished with dedication, support, and effort. Patrick also believes that establishing a sense of trust and genuine care is paramount to achieving everything with his students. He thrives on helping students gain confidence in their studies and in life.

When not in the classroom, you’ll likely find Patrick traveling and enjoying all the beauty the great outdoors has to offer in Colorado and beyond, or perhaps at open mic or trivia night.

Rachel B.

Rachel is a former teacher and nanny with a passion for helping students succeed. With a master’s degree from DePaul University, and a 4.0 GPA, Rachel loves to learn and share her knowledge. She gets to know her students’ background and interests before starting her lessons, as to make the information at hand pertinent to each child. With kindness and enthusiasm, Rachel strives to make learning a fun and comfortable experience for both the student and their families. Communication is her strong suit, as she enjoys sharing milestones and challenges with parents to ensure student success. In her spare time, Rachel travels the world with her husband, Cole. The pair resides in the Northwest suburbs with their two cats, and in her spare time, Rachel runs a successful photography studio out of her home office. Get in touch with Rachel today- she can not wait to get to know you!

Jacob C.

Jacob is a husband and father of three. He has many years of teaching and tutoring experience. Currently, Jacob is a fourth year doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a lover of learning!

Kayla H.

Meet Kayla Hicks, a Speech-Language Pathology graduate student. Kayla grew up in Oklahoma City where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Oklahoma State University. There she taught high school students from Phnom Penh, Cambodia formal grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation of spoken and written English. She also tutored college students in English, Essay writing, and Psychology. Kayla then moved to Illinois to work toward her Graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Midwestern University where she is expected to graduate in May of 2023. Kayla has gained professional experience as a Speech Pathology graduate student who has facilitated evaluation and intervention in neurodegenerative disorders of communication (TBI/ABI, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, Cognition, Aphasia, etc.) and children with unique communication needs (Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder, AAC, Autism, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Articulation, Language, Social learning, etc.) Through speech and language intervention, she has been able to foster her love of teaching and support students and adults with unique needs across multiple subjects to meet their educational goals. She has been able to make her students feel more confident in the classroom and their personal life by supporting improvement in writing, reading, vocabulary, language, speech, and math.

Kayla’s experience has allowed her to be flexible and adaptable with all students. She offers a calm, yet welcoming demeanor, infectious joy, candor, and positivity. In her spare time, Kayla loves going on walks, playing games, laser tag, and dancing. Kayla also spends her time helping out at a local dance studio, where she gets to share her love of dance. You can catch Kayla with a big smile on her face, helping someone become their best self.

Eric J.

Meet Eric Junco, an accomplished teacher education professor who has an extensive 12-year career in both high school and junior high ELA settings. Eric’s wide range of experience provides him with critical insights on how to develop common core reading and writing skills required to achieve success at each level of the K-12 ELA experience. He has spent the latter half of his high school teaching career instructing College English 101 and 103 courses, preparing students for ACT and CLEP examinations, and affording students college credits. His last school was referenced as the top high school in the Rock Valley College District for CLEP test volume and performance for six consecutive years while he was the only instructor of the course. He also has had immense success facilitating Directed Studies Reading courses to build students’ foundational and metacognitive reading and writing skills.

Eric’s teaching style utilizes a combination of cutting-edge technology, relationship-building, and constructivist-based pedagogies. He takes pride in spending a significant amount of time learning about his students’ interests, goals, and academic strengths to customize a learning experience that empowers students to observe their own metacognitive processes and co-construct their own learning. Eric’s students have nominated him for multiple golden apple nominations and he has been featured in the local news for being an effective teacher. He is also proud of achieving an award at the university level for Exceptional and Creative Online Instruction. Eric Junco is the perfect choice for a dynamic and effective teacher that will help students achieve their full potential.

Alexis S.

Alexis holds a professional educators license in Illinois with concentrations in English and Social Studies. She grew up in Villa Park, IL and received my Undergraduate Degree at Lewis University. While at Lewis University, Alexis served as a writing tutor in our writing center and assisted undergraduate and graduate students in peer editing writing assignments. Alexis recently graduated in December of 2022!

Alexis has always had a love for children due to being the oldest of four younger brothers. Helping others brings so much joy to her so she is extremely happy to have found a career in doing that both in and out of the classroom . For the past 2 summers, Alexis has worked as the head of the summer camp at Life Time Oak Brook for children ages 4-13. It is a great way to spend the summer helping children grow and pick up healthy lifestyle habits. In her spare time, Alexis enjoy working out, listening to music, and baking! She is very excited to have the opportunity to help all children reach their full academic potential with Prep Academy Tutors!

Brenda K.

Brenda Kahn graduated from NYU with a degree in political science. After college, she followed her passion for music, was signed to Columbia Records, recorded several albums, and toured across the US and Europe.

After starting a family in 2008, Brenda transitioned from her professional music career to teaching. She fell in love with teaching when she ran a tutoring company in Center Valley, PA that helped students with reading and writing challenges. She also expanded her educational offerings to include middle school creative writing workshops and elementary special ed support.

In 2018, her family relocated to South Salem, NY where she taught middle- and high-school English and History at Fusion Academy in White Plains, NY.

Fusion Academy caters to students with learning differences, and Bren excels at finding creative learning paths for students with special ed needs including ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, giftedness, ASD, and anxiety. In 2021, she was promoted to Director of Homework Cafe at Fusion, where she was responsible for helping students hone their executive functioning skills, while working with teachers to adopt and tailor best teaching and learning practices.

In 2022, Brenda’s family relocated to Boulder, CO. She is thrilled to be working with Prep Academy Tutors where she will continue to foster joy, creativity, and connection with every student.