Renee W.

Renee, M.A., is a Board Certified Educational Therapist (BCET) who helps children and teens thrive—academically, emotionally, and socially. Based in Los Angeles, she partners closely with families to understand each learner’s strengths, challenges, and unique way of experiencing the world.

With a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling and decades of experience supporting neurodiverse students—including those with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Dyslexia, and executive functioning challenges—Renee brings a calm, compassionate, and highly individualized approach to every session. She blends evidence‑based academic remediation with practical tools for confidence, communication, and self‑advocacy.

Parents often describe Renee as someone who “sees the whole child.” Whether she’s strengthening reading skills, building study habits, supporting emotional regulation, or helping families navigate IEPs and 504 plans, her goal is always the same: to make learning feel possible, manageable, and meaningful.

Renee’s background as an English and Drama teacher, private educational therapist, and clinical practitioner allows her to bridge school, home, and therapeutic environments. She believes deeply in collaboration—and in celebrating every step of progress, big or small.

Danielle D.

Danielle is a Los Angeles native with a BA in Spanish and a MA in TESOL, as well as the CertTESOL Level 5 Certificate (the highest certificate for teaching English to speakers of other languages). English literature has been a source of fascination for Danielle ever since childhood, when she read hundreds of books, both scholastically and extracurricularly. In her travels to over 25 countries, Danielle has gained wisdom about the world, and studied abroad in both Chile and Greece for a total of 4.5 years. She has worked as a tutor since 2009, providing guidance to her pupils in ESL, English, Spanish, History, essay writing, grammar, reading comprehension, test preparation & more. Working with young learners and learners with difficulties are Danielle’s areas of expertise. She worked as a full-time K-12 teacher and tutor for over 16 years as well as a developmental speech therapist. Through creativity, gamification, the lexical approach, project-based learning and more, Danielle is always dreaming up novel ways to engage her learners. She is currently in the process of authoring her own original course books, and continues to enjoy her work as a tutor.

Drew P.

Drew is an experienced tutor and teacher who is especially passionate about connecting with students one-on-one, and helping them achieve their goals. With an MFA in Playwriting from UT Austin, Drew has a particular expertise in writing and composition. He’s tutored in Math and English at elementary schools in the Los Angeles area, and taught writing-focused workshops at high schools and colleges around the country. In his spare time Drew loves experiencing immersive entertainment, and has worked in this field as a writer for companies such as Meow Wolf.

Scott E.

Mr. Essman has been teaching diverse groups of higher educational students in the Greater Los Angeles area since 1990 when he began as an English tutor. Since 2004, when he received his MA in education, he has taught business skills, mass media, filmmaking, film appreciation, screenwriting, directing, digital video editing, music business, art appreciation, advanced English composition, advanced English literature, and sociology at a group of colleges and universities, including The Art Institute of California—Orange County, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, Pathways College, Pacific Oaks College, and Citrus College. Throughout the past 22 years, Mr. Essman has won ‘favorite instructor’ several times and received regular accolades from students and supervisors alike, often scoring in the top percentile for teacher effectiveness and appreciation.

Val S.

Val Stulman started as an actor, then went into TV/Film production. Along the way she started writing. After she finished her TV/Film production career, she went back to school for a CA Secondary English and Drama Credential at CSUN and an MFA in Creative Writing/Writing for the Performing Arts at UCR. She taught Theatre and Writing at Mt. San Jacinto Community College, a film class at the University of LaVerne and then taught High School English, writing and drama for 8 years with Learn4Life schools, She is a screenwriter, playwright, and acting again. Val loves to work out and is an avid yoga practitioner. She tutored this past year and is thrilled to join the Prep Academy Tutor Team and meet YOU!

Richard S.

Rich is a retired lawyer. In addition to a law degree, he has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rhetoric. As a tutor, teaching assistant and adjunct faculty, he has taught and tutored students ranging from elementary school to graduate school. He specializes in English literature and composition, business, and social studies. Rich is also a skilled SAT coach.  Not only does he help students learn the content for the English sections of the SAT, but he also teaches them strategies, tips and tricks to yield the very best test score possible!

Sylvia K.

Amy H.

Amy grew up with an ardent love for reading and the English language. Thirsty for knowledge, Amy pursued a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Hodges University, graduating magna cum laude. She fulfilled a life-long dream of becoming an educator when she received her teaching certification in English/Language Arts. Amy’s expertise includes not only raising test scores but also cultivating enthusiasm for learning in her beloved students. She has supported students on every level from kindergarten to college, from whole-class to specialized one-on-one instruction. Her passions? Though she has many, Amy will tell you about her three Ps – poetry, photography, and pollinator gardening. Amy believes that kindness beats unkindness every day of the week and that kindness coupled with love can accomplish much.

VICTORIA L.

Victoria graduated from Brock University, where she received her (Honours) Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts while also obtaining certification in Drama in Education. Victoria is an Ontario Certified Teacher and received her Bachelor of Education from York University in the Junior/Intermediate division. Victoria has taken her French as a Second Language Part 1, Special Education Part 1, and her Primary Additional Qualifications. Victoria has taught professionally for the past two years while gaining experience teaching all subjects within the elementary school curriculum. She is passionate about infusing the arts into any learning environment and approaches every learner with enthusiasm and encouragement. Victoria strives to build meaningful connections with students and help them succeed in a safe and inclusive environment. Victoria has worked in private tutoring for 4 years supporting children from preschool all the way to grade 10. Aside from Theatre Arts, some of Victoria’s passions also include music, social activism, cosmetology, culinary arts, and literature.