Valery D.
Valery is a current student at the University of Miami, where she is pursuing degrees in Economics and Health Science. With four years of experience working in tutoring centers, Vale brings a strong background in supporting students across elementary and middle school subjects, along with high school English and Science. She has extensive experience working with children ages 8–12 and is CPR certified. Born and raised in Miami, Valery is known for making learning fun and engaging, helping students enjoy their work and build the confidence they need to excel. Outside of tutoring, she loves exploring new cafés around the city and going on runs.
Maria S.
Maria is an experienced educator who specializes in helping students build strong academic skills, confidence, and effective learning habits. She has taught across elementary and middle school and brings deep expertise in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and academic language growth.
Maria’s tutoring approach is centered on how students learn best. For example:
- Clear and achievable learning goals
- Explicit instruction with guided practice
- Reading comprehension strategies that make texts accessible
- Writing routines that strengthen structure, clarity, and organization
- Vocabulary practices that support deeper understanding
- Academic language supports such as sentence frames, thinking routines, and modeled responses
- Ongoing progress monitoring to celebrate growth and adjust instruction
Her students consistently make strong progress, and her classroom achieved the highest STAAR pass rate in her school (2023–2024). This success reflects her commitment to purposeful planning, high expectations, and meeting students exactly where they are.
Maria brings extensive experience in curriculum design to her tutoring, having created writing units, interdisciplinary lessons, and language-based supports that help students access challenging content. She uses this background to tailor every session to a child’s individual needs, strengths, and goals.
Although Maria is biliterate in English and Spanish, she uses this expertise only when helpful. Her understanding of how language functions in learning benefits all students—whether monolingual or multilingual—by strengthening their reading, writing, and communication skills.
Across all roles, Maria is recognized for her collaboration with families and communities, her strategic instructional planning, and her commitment to ensuring every student has the language, skills, and confidence to succeed.
Outside of teaching, Maria enjoys spending time with her family, relaxing with her dog, and staying active. She brings the same warmth, patience, and encouragement from her home life into every tutoring session.
Sally P.
Sally is a dedicated tutor and fourth-year University of Toronto student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics.
She specializes in tutoring Math, Computer Science, Psychology, English, French (beginner–intermediate), and Spanish (all levels). With over five years of experience supporting children and teens in both tutoring and childcare settings, Sally has worked extensively with neurodivergent learners, including students with ASD, ADHD, and diverse learning needs.
Sally creates individualized learning plans tailored to each student’s strengths, interests, and goals, and she collaborates closely with families to monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed. Her teaching style is flexible and inclusive; she adapts lessons for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners using clear routines, visual supports, meaningful practice, and positive encouragement. Above all, she strives to help students feel safe, understood, and confident.
Whether a student needs help catching up, staying motivated, or being challenged beyond the classroom, Sally focuses on building skills and self-belief, not just grades. Her goal is for every learner to leave each session thinking, “I can do this,” and to feel proud of their progress.
Sally is passionate about partnering with families to support each child’s academic growth, emotional well-being, and long-term love of learning through warm, structured, and personalized tutoring.
LUCIE J.
Above all else, Lucie enjoys introducing students of all ages to the joys of learning French, English, and Spanish. Witnessing their advancement is always gratifying for her. Part of Lucie’s experience includes teaching both individual and group classes for teenagers and adults while she lived in Columbia.
Now that she is back in Canada, she teaches French and Spanish to students as young as 3 years of age through to the teenage years. Lucie believes that the key to language acquisition is in a multi-pronged approach which includes reading, writing, listening and conversation. To enrich learning opportunities, Lucie incorporates cultural music, movies, and fun activities into her lessons.
In her non-teaching time, Lucie is passionate about outdoor pursuits, as well as playing the piano and creating artwork through painting.
Dr. S. Cuevas
Dr. S. Cuevas is an experienced educator and higher-education professional with more than a decade of success supporting students’ academic growth, confidence, and career readiness. As a first-generation college graduate originally from South Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, and an individual with hearing loss, Dr. Cuevas brings a deep personal understanding of perseverance, inclusive learning, and the power of individualized support. He holds a Ph.D. and a master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling, a bachelor’s in English, and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist (CVE) through CRCC. With a strong foundation in English and literacy instruction, he has taught university courses, supported interdisciplinary research, and guided hundreds of learners in writing, critical thinking, academic planning, and career development. His early experience as a high school English Language Arts, literacy-intervention teacher, tutor for entering college students with disabilities, as well as a writing tutor at the university level, further strengthened his ability to tailor instruction to diverse learning needs. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Dr. Cuevas is known for his warm, patient, and student-centered approach, helping learners build confidence as they master challenging material. He believes students thrive when they feel understood and supported, and he prioritizes building meaningful learning relationships. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring inclusive design projects and mentoring student organizations about raising disability awareness.
Dr. Hazel R.
“Dr. Hazel”, a talented & vivacious educator, is excited about Teaching & Training you to be at “Your Best”. She teaches all subjects by infusing the Arts and Music, keeping you engaged while retaining the content. Her certifications include: Science, Physical Education, Adapted PE & Spanish for K-12 grades and adults.
Her professional teaching experience started in 2008. Her professional career as an actor, which includes print campaigns, Musicals, Television, and commercials, started at the age of 12. She has taught and worked in Chicago, California, and now Louisiana. Dr. Hazel holds an AA in Mortuary Science, a BAS in Criminal Justice, an MEd in Educational Leadership, and an EdS in Educational Administration.
Daniela D.
Daniela graduated from The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ’em, Longhorns!) with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, along with a Teaching Minor/Certificate that allowed her to work with students from K–12. Through that experience, she fell in love with teaching, especially helping students who need learning to feel clear, welcoming, and confident.
Neuroscience is deeply rooted in math and science, which allows Daniela to bring a strong academic foundation to both subjects. She is skilled at breaking down complex ideas, modeling step-by-step thinking, and supporting students with strategies that align with how the brain learns best.
Daniela is currently pursuing her Master of Education at Arcadia University, where she is expanding her expertise in effective instruction, equitable practices, and understanding diverse learning needs. Whether working with younger learners or teens, her goal is always the same: to create a warm, encouraging environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, developing strong math and science skills, and discovering confidence in themselves as learners.
Valerie F.
Valerie F. is an experienced STEM educator and Math and Science tutor. She grew up in Austria and is fluent in German, while currently improving her conversational Spanish. Having moved to Texas as a child, she brings a multicultural perspective that helps her connect with students from all backgrounds and create a welcoming, supportive learning environment.
Valerie earned a Bachelor of Arts in German from Texas State University, completed her Texas Educator Certificate through Lone Star College’s Alternative Certification Program, and holds an Associate of Applied Science in 3D Animation from Austin Community College. She has taught students from 1st through 8th grade in math, science, robotics, drones, public speaking, art, and introductory coding—designing hands-on, project-based lessons using tools like Scratch and mBlock that spark curiosity and strengthen foundational skills.
She has extensive experience supporting ESL learners and students with diverse learning needs, including special needs students inspired by her own family experiences. As a tutor, Valerie focuses on building confidence, conceptual understanding, and problem-solving skills by tailoring instruction to each student’s strengths and learning style.
Outside the classroom, Valerie mentors new educators and develops innovative lessons that blend technology, creativity, and real-world STEM applications. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking international dishes, working on creative projects, practicing her Spanish, and spending time with her multilingual parrot—who she sometimes tries to teach to “code.”
Danicka C.
Danicka has a Master’s degree in Child Study and Education from the University of Toronto. She majored in French Studies with a minor in Sociology from York University’s Glendon Campus. Danicka has taught in international school settings across Canada, England, Portugal, and France, and brings over 5 years of teaching experience. She is familiar with the IB curriculum, UK National Curriculum, French National Curriculum, and the Ontario Curriculum. She has a specialization in teaching French as a Second Language and enjoys working with learners of all abilities and backgrounds. She is also fluent in four languages; English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Aside from teaching, Danicka enjoys travelling, fitness classes, photography, and web design.
Kyle H.
Kyle is a primary English educator and aspiring film professor with more than six years of teaching and tutoring experience across multiple classrooms, workshops, online platforms, and subjects. While he has been pursuing his masters degree in education at National Louis University, he has also been supporting grades 9–12 as a permanent substitute teacher at Hinsdale South High School. Kyle also has led screenwriting, creative writing, and public speaking sessions for Cardinal Filmworks, a student owned and ran film collective at Ball State University (his alma mater). Finally, after his undergrad, he also tutored poetry, Spanish, photography, and videography for learners of all ages with Varsity Tutors as one of their Creative Writing Experts. His style tends to center on building up confidence and problem solving skills through lessons that connect his students’ work to their interests. Creativity is a core tenet of his and because of that he loves to design personalized, engaging sessions that balance creative freedom with structured feedback so that each student grows as both thinker and creator. Because of this more creativity-focused approach, crafting relationships with my students is paramount to me. Learning about their lives and helping them succeed is just as important to me as their academics. Kyle is a lifelong reader, film buff, devoted sci‑fi and fantasy fan, bass guitar player, and avid Chicago & New York sports fan (Cubs/Sox Mets/Jets).