Brian V.

Brian holds a Ph.D. in Physics from UC San Diego, where he spent over five years as a graduate teaching assistant. With the long-term goal of becoming a professor, he is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring others to “give back” his knowledge. In 2023, he received the Distinguished Senior Graduate Teaching Award from the department in recognition of his dedication in this area.

Having both studied and taught math and physics for many years, Brian understands the challenges that often come when learning these subjects. His approach is to guide students through example problems by breaking them down into clear, manageable steps. He believes that, with the right guidance, every student can develop the skills and confidence to solve problems independently.

In his free time, Brian enjoys sailing with the Maritime Museum of San Diego—a hobby that, much like teaching, requires patience and a good sense of direction!

Bruce M.

Bruce is an experienced educator with over 30 years of teaching and tutoring across academic subjects including math, science, writing, history, and geography. He’s helped students at all levels improve understanding, raise grades, and boost scores on standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GED, AP exams, Regents, ASVAB, and Civil Service tests. He’s served as an Adjunct Professor for over 30 years at several colleges, and also taught with The Princeton Review and Kaplan, bringing proven test-prep strategies to his students. In addition to 20 years of private tutoring, he spent 5 years with Science Adventures, running after-school science programs and summer camps plus 6 years at Treasure Island Day Camp in charge of all Nature programs.
His professional background includes more than two decades at Brookhaven National Lab, as well as technical and management roles at Grumman Aerospace, Robotic Vision Systems, Megadata, and American Science, working in scientific research, engineering, software development, management, and consulting. He’s also developed training programs and educational curricula for both academic and professional settings.
Beyond teaching and tech, he is a published writer with thousands of pages in print, as well as a journal editor. Students appreciate his ability to explain complex concepts clearly, build confidence, and adapt to their unique learning style.

Alex C.

Alex is a Game Developer with a strong passion for Mathematics, Computer Science, and their real-world applications. He holds an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering from Ontario Tech University and enjoys making complex concepts clear, engaging, and relatable for his students.

He believes that students who struggle with math or computer science often just need the right explanation—one that connects to their unique perspective and learning style. With experience as both a private tutor and a swim instructor, Alex brings patience, adaptability, and creativity to his teaching. His goal is to help learners build confidence while discovering the fun and practical side of math and computer science.

Angela T.

Angela has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Master’s Degree in Education. She is a history nerd who loves all things technology-related!

Through her fifteen years as a teacher, tutor, and educational professional, she believes in the power of education and technology. Students of all ages are capable of learning. They simply need patience, compassion, and an educator willing to listen. Working with the University of Texas at Austin, Goodwill of Central Texas, Harmony Public Schools, and the Round Rock Independent School District has made her extremely effective in instructing and mentoring an ethnically diverse population.

Come see me for any needs you may have in history, economics, grammar, reading, computer science, and test prep!

Maxx F.

ENG: Maxx recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from Concordia University, having completed three internships throughout. His participation as a karate instructor and experience tutoring a range of ages has helped structure his knack for encouraging effective learning techniques in students, tailored to their needs.
Maxx finds great importance in meeting students at their level, and helping them develop healthy study habits outside of tutoring sessions. He recognizes the value of patience and engagement in a classroom setting, and sees to it that a student’s concerns in matters of studies, stress and time management are addressed.
In addition to academics, Maxx is highly interested in topics like the process of game development, web programming/UX, snowboarding and cooking!

FR: Maxx a récemment obtenu son baccalauréat en génie logiciel de l’Université Concordia, tout en effectuant trois stages dans le processus. Sa participation en tant qu’instructeur de karaté ainsi que son expérience comme tuteur pour une gamme d’âges ont contribué à structurer son talent pour encourager des techniques d’apprentissage efficaces chez les étudiants, adaptées à leurs besoins.
Maxx attache une grande importance au fait de rencontrer les élèves à leur niveau et de les aider à développer de bonnes habitudes d’étude en dehors des séances de tutorat. Il reconnaît la valeur de la patience et de l’engagement dans une salle de classe, et veille à ce que les préoccupations des étudiants en matière d’études, de stress et de gestion du temps soient prises en compte.
Outre les études, Maxx s’intéresse beaucoup à des sujets tels que le processus de développement de jeux, la programmation web/UX, le snowboard et la cuisine!

Patricia T.

Patricia Tibesar graduated from Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Environmental Science and a minor in English Literature. She grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, and moved to Maine to complete her degree, though she has also lived in Spain, Mexico, and Costa Rica. At Colby College, Patricia worked closely with the Center for Teaching and Learning. As a learning assistant, Patricia worked with students to engage them with their learning and encourage asking questions, and she worked with professors and staff to rework course designs to improve student learning. She enjoys tutoring and helping students understand their learning because of the reward of a student feeling their own confidence grow. In her free time, Patricia loves reading, watching movies and reviewing them on Letterboxd, and traveling, both domestically and internationally.

Vania G.

Vania Gulston has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. She holds Pennsylvania certifications in secondary mathematics and social studies; and has masters degrees in education, history and folklore, performance studies, and technology design from the University of California at Berkeley, Temple University, and New York University, respectively.

Her teaching practice has been shaped by her love of radio. She became a social studies teacher in order to extend the work of helping to broaden people’s understanding of their social world that she did as a community radio broadcaster. She pursued a degree in technology design because she wanted to equip herself with the technical skills necessary to operate the broadcast equipment of a radio station. As well, she pursued graduate studies in tech design because, after experiencing obstacles in her efforts to increase her technical knowledge, she wanted to be able to offer that same technical knowledge to women and people of color who sought it.

She is the founder of WJYN Radio–a low power fm radio station in Philadelphia

Eva H.

Eva is a former high school math teacher who pivoted to software engineering. She is a proud graduate of Westtown School and Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her BA in mathematics. Eva lived in Houston, Texas after college teaching Algebra and Geometry while also working with private tutoring clients. During this time, Eva also obtained an MA in mathematics from the University of Houston with much of her coursework focused on math education.

She moved back to Philadelphia to complete a Masters program in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. She then joined Comcast, eventually serving as a senior software engineer. While Eva enjoyed mentoring in that role, she misses working with students and is eager to bring her energy and expertise to helping clients achieve their goals. In her spare time, she stays up too late reading and always has several craft projects on the go, including making bespoke piñatas for her friends’ kids.

Rene G.

Rene G. is an educator dedicated to optimizing student learning through personalized and effective teaching strategies. Hailing from Ecuador, he has 17 years of experience teaching Mathematics, Design, and Technology at an International Baccalaureate School. Rene holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral and is passionate about fostering student success. He relocated to San Antonio to pursue a Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics for Industry. During his graduate studies, Rene served as a university instructor, teaching Quantitative Reasoning to freshman. Additionally, he applied his skills at Knowledge and Training through an internship focused on assessing and refining instructional methods, demonstrating a commitment to differentiated instruction and diverse learning styles. Rene’s experience includes implementing individualized learning plans, exploring innovative pedagogical approaches such as peer learning and flipped classrooms, and utilizing student feedback to enhance teaching practices. Rene believes that building strong student relationships is crucial for meeting their individual needs and promoting their academic growth. As a mentor, he continuously develops strategies to support student development, finding these interactions both enjoyable and highly rewarding.

Michael S.

After working with hundreds of students, Michael understands that struggles with math and science are incredibly common—and that students are not alone. Often, classroom teachers don’t have the time to adapt to every student’s unique learning style. That’s where Michael steps in: he works closely with each student to find the approach that makes the most sense for them. His past students have gone from being frustrated by a single problem all day to breezing through it with just a small shift in perspective.

Michael’s teaching experience spans a wide range of settings, from one-on-one tutoring in high school to leading review sessions for hundreds of college students. He was even selected as the pedagogy fellow in his graduate program, responsible for preparing incoming graduate students to teach—an honor that reflects both deep content knowledge and outstanding instructional skill. This high-level perspective on effective teaching methods enables Michael to bring exceptional flexibility and responsiveness to his tutoring sessions.

In terms of subject expertise, Michael brings thousands of hours of experience, including 11 years of tutoring, 7 years as a teaching assistant, 2 years of instructing college courses, and both a PhD and a BS in Physics, along with an undergraduate minor in Mathematics. With this foundation, he is confident in his ability to work through any course material alongside his students.

Michael’s tutoring journey began in high school, when he noticed that many of his peers didn’t know where to turn for academic support. This inspired him to explore Universal Design for Learning—an approach that emphasizes presenting content in multiple formats to meet different learning styles. Since then, he has supported college students in tutoring centers, led supplementary instruction sessions, and taught lecture and lab courses at the university level. Michael creates a learning environment where students feel safe to ask questions, engage deeply in discussions, and leave sessions empowered to apply their learning in the real world. He brings this wealth of experience to every tutoring session to help students get exactly what they need from their education.