Tricia R.

Tricia R. has worked with various community organizations designing and incorporating workshops geared toward music/rhythm, conflict resolution skills, creative expression, and language arts. She was a middle school substitute teacher in Elgin School District U-46. She draws upon 20+ years of experience in classroom teaching, as well as facilitating instructional presentations and educational programming with an emphasis on Experiential Education. Tricia holds a degree in Education, and certifications in Library Science, Team-building, Youth Management Techniques, and Music Education. In addition to teaching and stockpiling curriculum, she enjoys photography, painting barn quilts and playing the fiddle.

Joe G.

Joe is a certified teacher with five years of high school classroom teaching experience in English, Civics & Government, Economics, Math, and Spanish. He graduated from Mizzou and jumped right into teaching/tutoring while pursuing grad school. Joe now holds master’s degrees in education and economics. He is a lover of sports, primarily soccer and tennis, the outdoors, and traveling. He is also trilingual in English, Spanish, and Albanian, which has made visiting nearly 20 countries a whole lot easier! As a tutor, Joe is passionate about helping students reach their full potential. Having coached youth sports, taught a myriad of subjects, and individually tutored students in after-school programs, he is patient, understanding, and has a knack for explaining complex concepts in a way that students can understand. One of Joe’s favorite things about tutoring is getting to know his students and helping them develop their own unique learning styles. He believes that everyone learns differently, and he tailors his teaching methods to each individual student. Finally, Joe is also a great motivator and big believer in humor as a learning tool to help students stay on track. So, why not see if this “Joe-of-all-trades” is the right fit for you?

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.

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!

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.

Maya H.

Maya graduated from Loyola University Chicago with three bachelor’s degrees – in psychology, history, and international studies. She also holds a master’s degree in marketing from DePaul, a master’s in animal sciences from the University of Florida, and is completing her master’s in clinical psychology from Pepperdine. Maya has experience working with students primarily high school level, but welcomes students of all ages! Additionally, she has experience tutoring students at Loyola University in social studies/history, English, Polish language, literature, psychology, and basic biology/animal sciences. Maya has held various leadership positions for over two years which included: a History Honors Society member, animal welfare advocate, event coordinator, and PR specialist. Outside of her studies, she was a professional ballroom dancer, musician, horseback rider, animal shelter volunteer, and published author. She was most recently published in DePaul’s book, Marketing Cases of Chicago Businesses. Full-time, she is a clinical psychology student with hopes of going into school counseling and therapy.