Eileen L.

Eileen is a Clinical Research Coordinator for both the Neurology and the Interventional Neuroradiology departments at the University Health Network. She has a master’s degree in Medical Science, as well as an Honour’s bachelor’s in science – both with a specialization in Neuroscience. As someone who has been praised for her interpersonal skills, Eileen interacts with students differently depending on their knowledge, personality, interests, and other information she obtains throughout their interaction. She believes it is always important to listen and understand what the student is struggling with. For her students to not be afraid to share their thoughts, she always takes the non-judgmental approach and reinforces the idea of a safe and comfortable tutoring environment with her students. Students who have been tutored by Eileen in the past often compliment her capability to explain difficult concepts, and this is mainly because she understands their weakness and knows how to target that. During her spare time, Eileen likes to run, read, sing, and play musical instruments.

ANAMIKA B.

Anamika’s love for STEM learning began as a young girl, where she turned her family bathroom into her laboratory and would do “experiments” in the sink with soaps and shampoo galore. Currently, Anamika is a Master of Science Candidate with the Biology department at York University. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor of Science, double-majoring in Human Biology and Psychology. She is qualified to teach all levels for science, and Grades 1 through 10for math.

Anamika has previously worked with children ages 5+ in her role as a summer camp counselor, peer mentor, and has valuable skills obtained through her various volunteer positions, and research positions. Her interest in teaching has been further enriched through her role as a teaching assistant for introductory and advanced university-level biology courses.

Her desire to engage students from different educational and neurodiverse backgrounds follows her into the classroom. Anamika believes in tailoring the learning experience of her students to their interests and utilizing various methods to convey information to help her students develop learning strategies and resilience in the classroom. Anamika is always looking to be a better teacher, collecting certifications and attending workshops to engage students in an online classroom, develop learning skills, course design, etc.

Originally from Boston, Anamika has made Toronto her home for the past 6 years. In her free time, she loves to bake, watch movies, do yoga and hang out with her dog Gervais!

VATSAL D.

Vatsal is a Data Scientist by profession and a passionate teacher and learner. He is currently working as a Data and Diagnostics Engineer at an engineering company based in Mississauga. One of his great achievements have been to be a part of the engineering team that was behind launching world’s first ever hydrogen power train for commercial service in Germany. Recently they set a Guinness world record for longest distance travelled by a hydrogen powered train without refuelling. In the past is worked as a Data Scientist at TD Bank where he was responsible for building analytics capabilities for capital markets. Vatsal is a gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering and completed his master’s in Industrial Engineering from University of Toronto in 2019. As a master’s student he has been a Teaching Assistant for undergraduate level courses in mathematics and statistics. Being passionate about teaching he was also engaged in tutoring high school kids, from Ontario grade 7th through 12th, and has volunteered for NGOs focused on educating underprivileged kids. Vatsal believes in holistic and character-building education which enables students to connect theory with the real world around them, and follows a pedagogy that helps students connect the dots. Apart from teaching, Vatsal loves to hike and is ambitious about learning to fly a fixed-wing glider. He is also trying to lead a car-free life to do his part at curbing pollution and help our environment heal itself.

SHELBY G.

Shelby is an Ontario Certified Teacher who grew up in Toronto, and completed her degree in Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. After graduation she headed to North Bay to obtain her Bachelor of Education at Nipissing University. Shelby is currently working towards gaining new skills and certifications within the teaching community. In this she believes that learning never stops and should be a lifetime activity. She feels that learning processes of students differ and that no two people learn the same way. Through volunteer work with people with disabilities she was inspired in her understanding that everyone can work to succeed and that success is measured individually. She primarily teaches general science up to grade 10, grade 11 and 12 biology as well as geography from grades 4-12. She is also certified to teach math from grades 4-9. Shelby grew up with a deep love of art and nature which inspired her to study biology as her post secondary degree. While working as an art counselor and swim instructor she found a passion for teaching that inspired her to pursue this as a career. She discovered that helping her students reach their goals and overcome challenges was a reward unto itself. It is through teaching that Shelby has been able to foster her love of science and make connections between many of the different subjects. In her spare time Shelby enjoys crafting, reading and baking.

ADITYA V.

Aditya Venkatesh is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson University working on designing next generation aircraft cabin interiors. He has a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University and a bachelors degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, USA. Since his masters program, Aditya has been a Graduate Assistant (GA) for various aerospace engineering undergraduate courses, during which he has enjoyed fostering students to get the most out of their semester so they can develop their skill set. As a GA, he discovered a fondness of teaching and is excited to extend his expertise to high schoolers as well. With experience as an invigilator at the Ryerson University Test Center that caters to students with academic accommodations and accessibility needs, Aditya is equipped to handle any student on their learning journey. He even has experience delivering online material since following that format as a GA since March 2020. In his spare time, Aditya enjoys cooking, comedy, and documentaries.

SIMON M.

Simon has a Masters Degree in Education focused on Curriculum and ESL from Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia. After volunteering as an ESL and ECE teacher, Simon gained a passion for supporting families new to Canada – particularly as they transition between different international school systems.

Simon focuses on grammar as the foundation of reading and writing. By zooming-in on sentences and zooming-out to see the connected meanings needed to complete complex assignments, Simon helps students improve basic grammar, plan clear writing, and understand exam questions under pressure.

With extensive experience working in international and ecological education in rural and urban areas, as well as with students who have a first language other than English, Simon also researches best practices in language education methods to support all types of learners.

Simon grew up in Brockville, Ontario, and attended MSVU and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax Nova Scotia. He has 12 years experience as an educator and holds TESL Canada Level 3 and CELTA teaching certificates. In his free time, he likes to cycle, snowboard, and read.

Michael I.

Having graduated from York University’s Bachelor of Education program in 2020 Michael is now working as a supply teacher within the Toronto District School Board and York Region District School Board. He is qualified to teach Language, Math, Science, History, Geography, Art, Social Studies, and Physical Education up to grade 8, and specializes in Arts and English for senior students. Michael also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance and, over his 9 years working in the arts, has performed and taught Shakespeare to students of all ages, worked within First Nations communities, and performed in interactive theatre pieces with students addressing relevant problems effecting their lives. Putting students at the centre of their learning and finding ways to connect them to curriculum – thereby growing their curiosity – is what excites Michael most. From there, he believes that building from their previous knowledge and developing learning goals together is an effective way to empower their drive.

Michael has traveled to China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and across Europe and he brings his passion of exploring other cultures to his pedagogy. In every lesson there is a chance to reflect the society in which we live. He is a lover of the environment, books, movies, and videogames, and usually has much in common with his students.

MEGAN P.

Hi! My name is Meg and I am an OCT Primary/Junior teacher. I love art, reading, and exploring nature! To all my work, I bring an unrivaled passion for and testament to the transformative power of education. In teaching environments, I have demonstrated highly energetic and inclusive approaches to making learning a fun and safe experience for children. I’ve worked as a summer camp counsellor, preschool teacher, recreation sports instructor, recreation dance instructor, recreation art instructor, swim lesson assistant, ON Early Years assistant, and primary literacy tutor. I have a great deal of experience working with students who have been identified as needing intensive literacy intervention. Ultimately, I believe that learning should be guided by children’s interests and support their self-determination. I look forward to working with you!

SHABNAM S.

Shabnam is a theoretical physicist with a PhD from Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy. She has worked as a researcher in different universities and countries. Before moving to Toronto, she lived in Singapore for more than six years and worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Quantum Technologies. She has taught undergrad students at universities such as Bilkent University, National University of Singapore and Yale-NUS college. In early 2019 she transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship. Currently she is a Co-Founder and Director of a start-up in Toronto.

In addition to her teaching experience at university level, she was a Math and Physics tutor right after finishing her high school until she became a PhD student. She has her way of simplifying scientific subjects for students to help them learn gradually and develop their logical thinking and problem solving abilities. Even in her entrepreneurial role she enjoys working with the interns a lot.

Shabnam has travelled to several countries and has friends from many different nationalities. Canada is the fifth country that she lives in. In her free time she enjoys cooking, exercising and dancing. When music plays she cannot stand still.

Arden R.

Arden graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a Bachelor’s in Classics (Latin). A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she was awarded the George A. Schrader Humanities prize at graduation for her contribution to the cultural life of the college. Since then, she has worked extensively as a tutor, mentor, and classroom teacher, helping students reach their goals in fields as varied as SAT prep, English prose style, French literature, musical composition, and mathematics.

Arden scored 2340 on the SAT, achieving a perfect score in Critical Reading and reaching the 98th percentile in Math. She received perfect scores on all three of her SAT IIs: Literature, French, and Molecular Biology. Her insights into the test are supported by her experience creating instructional and practice material for both the SAT and SAT II Literature Subject Test.

Empathetic, friendly, and enthusiastic, Arden has an infectious passion for learning. She is fluent in French, has translated a novel from German, and studied Ancient Greek along with Latin at Yale. Outside the classroom, her interests include songwriting, classical music, game design, philosophy, and gender.