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.

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.

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!