Marcus C.
Marcus is an experienced education professional with more than a decade of service in the public school system. Over the course of his career, he has held a variety of roles including After-School Care Site Manager, Instructional Assistant, Classroom Teacher, and currently serves as a Special Education Coordinator and Campus Testing Coordinator. Marcus has worked with students across all grade levels, from elementary through high school, giving him a well-rounded understanding of student development and diverse learning needs.
Marcus earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and his Master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration as an Instructional Specialist from Texas A&M University–San Antonio. He currently holds Texas teaching certifications in Early Childhood through 12th Grade Special Education and 4th through 8th Grade Mathematics.
His passion for education began while working as an after-school program site manager and AVID tutor, where he regularly supported students in developing stronger math skills. Seeing students gain confidence after mastering a concept that once seemed difficult remains one of the most rewarding parts of his work and continues to inspire his dedication to teaching mathematics and supporting diverse learners.
Marcus firmly believes that every student has the potential to succeed when given the right support, encouragement, and instructional approach. He often reminds his students of a favorite line from the film Ratatouille: “Anyone can math.” This philosophy reflects his commitment to focusing on students’ strengths and helping them build the confidence needed to overcome academic challenges.
Outside of education, Marcus enjoys spending time with his family, making barbecue, and bowling.
Todd P.
Todd P. is a highly experienced science and test preparation specialist with nearly two decades of experience in education. Since beginning his career in 2006, he has taught Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and AP Physics, helping students develop deep conceptual understanding and lasting confidence in challenging subjects.
In addition to his classroom teaching, Todd has served as a content coordinator for both Judson ISD and Houston ISD, giving him strong insight into curriculum standards, assessment design, and academic expectations across grade levels.
Todd provides expert tutoring in:
- Science: Biology (including AP Biology), Chemistry, Physics, Physical Science, Earth Science, Environmental Science (including middle school 6–8), and Genetics
- Mathematics: Algebra, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and math foundations that support science success
- College-Level Coursework: BIOL 111, BIOL 112, BIOL 213, CHEM 119
- Standardized Test Prep: ACT, PSAT/SAT, ASVAB, SSAT/ISEE, STAAR, TSI, GRE, and AP exams
He also helps students strengthen core academic and technical skills, including graphing, data interpretation, Excel, Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Google Slides, and PowerPoint — tools that are essential for modern academic success.
Families value Todd’s ability to simplify complex material, build effective test-taking strategies, and tailor instruction to each student’s learning style. His goal is not only to improve grades and test scores, but to equip students with the confidence and independent thinking skills needed for long-term success.
Outside of education, Todd enjoys art, writing, reading, and spending time outdoors.
Benjamin N.
Benjamin N. is a highly experienced educator, healthcare professional, and retired United States Army veteran with more than 30 years of experience teaching health sciences and medical technology. His career has combined military service, higher education leadership, clinical laboratory science, and student mentorship, giving him a unique ability to connect academic concepts to real-world applications in healthcare and science.
Benjamin began his teaching career while serving in the United States Army, where he was selected as an instructor for an Advanced Medical Laboratory Program. He served in that role for six years before continuing his career in both healthcare and higher education leadership following his military retirement. Throughout his career, he has remained deeply passionate about teaching, mentoring, and helping students build confidence in challenging subjects.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, a Master of Arts in Health Services Management, and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. In addition to his teaching background, Benjamin has served in numerous leadership roles within higher education and healthcare, including Department Chair for Allied Health programs at San Jacinto College, where he oversaw multiple healthcare training programs and helped significantly improve student success, enrollment, and certification pass rates.
Benjamin specializes in science and health-related subjects including Anatomy, Biology, Genetics, Pathophysiology, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, Geography, and Health. He also supports students in middle school mathematics, STAAR math preparation, elementary education, and academic writing. His broad educational and professional background allows him to adapt his instruction to students with a variety of learning styles and academic goals.
Known for his structured, supportive teaching style, Benjamin focuses on helping students truly understand concepts rather than simply memorize information. Families appreciate his patience, professionalism, and ability to encourage students to believe in their abilities while developing stronger study habits and academic confidence.
Benjamin is excited to continue sharing his knowledge and experience with students and helping them achieve long-term academic success.
Antonio V.
Antonio is a physics graduate with a minor in computer science and extensive tutoring experience with students from elementary school through college. He specializes in making complex concepts clear, intuitive, and approachable—whether the focus is calculus, physics, programming, data analysis, or exam preparation. His goal is to help students build real understanding, not rely on memorization.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Texas at San Antonio, completing advanced coursework in Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Nanophotonics, Data Structures, and Computational Science. Antonio also has strong research experience, including serving as a Department of Energy Research Intern at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he worked in computational physics, machine learning, network theory, and protein modeling using Python, R, and high-performance computing resources.
Antonio has provided both one-on-one and group tutoring in math (from pre-algebra through differential equations), physics (including AP Physics), computer programming, and data analysis. At UTSA, he also served as a MATLAB Tutor and a Thermal Physics Reader/Grader, supporting students with debugging, interpreting data, and building confidence in rigorous technical courses.
Students and families appreciate Antonio’s patience and adaptability. He tailors explanations to each student’s learning style, breaking problems down step by step while reinforcing the bigger-picture concepts. He brings a rare combination of strong academic credentials, real research experience, and a supportive teaching approach to help students succeed.
Raven E.
Raven is a Texas-certified educator specializing in middle school mathematics, science, and individualized academic support. With a Master of Education in STEM from Southern Methodist University, a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Communication Studies from the University of Richmond, and classroom experience teaching middle school science in San Antonio ISD, Raven brings an engaging combination of technical knowledge, communication skills, and student-centered instruction to tutoring.
Raven graduated from the University of Richmond in 2023, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Studies with minors in Business Administration and Dance. She continued her education at Southern Methodist University, pursuing a Master of Education focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). She also earned herTexas teaching certification in Mathematics and Science for grades 4–8, giving her specialized preparation to support students during the academically important middle school years.
Raven spent two years teaching seventh- and eighth-grade science at Will Rogers Academy in San Antonio Independent School District, where she served as a Teach for America corps member. Through this experience, she developed a strong understanding of the academic, organizational, and developmental challenges students face as they transition toward high school.
During her time in the classroom, Raven worked with students from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of academic needs. She developed lessons designed to encourage curiosity, strengthen critical thinking, and help students connect classroom concepts to the world around them. She also helped coordinate the school’s participation in district science fairs, where students earned third place overall in two consecutive years.
Raven believes that effective teaching begins with understanding the individual student. She takes time to learn about each student’s interests, strengths, challenges, and goals, then adapts instruction to make learning more meaningful and accessible. Her approach emphasizes active participation, curiosity, and helping students develop the confidence to think independently rather than simply memorize information.
With her STEM education and mathematics/science certification, Raven provides support in middle school mathematics, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Algebra II, Geometry, graphing, general science, and middle school environmental science. She understands the importance of strengthening foundational mathematical skills before students encounter more advanced concepts and works to make challenging material understandable through clear explanations, guided practice, and practical examples.
Raven also brings an unusually strong background in English, writing, rhetoric, and communication for a STEM-focused educator. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a Speech Consultant at the University of Richmond, helping students strengthen presentations and communicate ideas more effectively. Her academic background provides a strong foundation for supporting students with English Language Arts, reading, writing, and college essay development.
Her university research experience further strengthens her analytical and communication skills. At the University of Richmond, Raven worked as a research analyst on a digital mapping project examining the historical effects of redlining. She has also contributed to research at SMU involving language, technology, and artificial intelligence, including manuscript development and data analysis.
Beyond individual academic subjects, Raven helps students strengthen executive functioning, organization, study habits, test-taking strategies, and academic confidence. Her classroom experience taught her how closely academic performance is connected to a student’s ability to manage assignments, understand expectations, and approach challenging tasks with a clear plan.
Raven offers tutoring across a broad range of subjects, including elementary academics, middle school math and science, English Language Arts, reading, writing, and selected high school mathematics courses. She also provides support forSTAAR, PSAT/SAT, and ACT preparation, helping students strengthen underlying academic skills and become more comfortable with challenging questions and testing environments.
One of Raven’s greatest strengths is her ability to combine structured instruction with a relatable, encouraging personality. She believes students learn more effectively when they feel respected, understood, and comfortable asking questions. By building positive relationships and connecting lessons to students’ interests, she works to make tutoring both productive and enjoyable.
Outside of education, Raven enjoys exercising, creating art, baking, and reading. She is also an enthusiastic San Antonio Spurs fan, with fond memories of cheering for the team growing up. Music is another major interest, particularly 1980s alternative, dark wave, and electronic music.
Above all, Raven finds purpose in helping young people discover their abilities and develop the confidence to pursue their goals. Whether she is helping a middle school student strengthen math skills, making science more engaging, supporting writing development, or building better academic habits, Raven’s goal is to help students become curious, capable, and independent learners.
Eddy V.
Eduardo “Eddy” V. is a passionate educator with a B.S. in Physics with a Minor in Mathematics from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. With over 5 years of teaching in the classroom across all subjects in science (including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), Eddy is a powerhouse of rigor and foundational teaching. Eddy’s love of teaching comes from a young age, being a leader, and showing everyone the way. Throughout College he would hold his own tutoring sessions in his University physics course where other students would struggle. Now he teaches over 100+ students AP Physics and Biology, and he enjoys time with his cats.
Estrella H.
Estrella is an engineering student through the Alamo Colleges District and plans to continue her studies at UTSA. Her psychology degree from Wayland Baptist University has given her a strong foundation in understanding how students learn, think, and process information.
Because she has worked closely with many neurodivergent learners, Estrella is especially skilled at adapting explanations to fit different learning styles. She loves problem-solving and brings that same curiosity into her tutoring by finding clear, engaging, and flexible ways to explain concepts. Through creative problem-solving and adaptive teaching, she uses her understanding that every brain works differently to make sessions inclusive, encouraging, and confidence-building.
A kid at heart, Estrella is an avid Pokémon fan, a collector of sensory toys, and a board game enthusiast. When she isn’t studying or tutoring, she enjoys binging psychological thrillers and listening to music. Her goal is to make learning feel less like a chore and more like a puzzle to be solved.
“We could not thank Prep Academy Tutors enough! From the initial contact to the last tutoring session, Taira made us feel comfortable and confident for choosing them as a tutor for my daughter. Taira matched us up with Estrella and the match was absolutely perfect! Estrella was efficient, on time and kind to my daughter. The connection was there and we appreciate her! She worked well with my daughter, adjusted to her personality and learning style, gave feedback and encouraged her the entire time. We miss her and were sad to have completed tutoring sessions haha! I’m sure we will be reaching out again to Prep Academy Tutors in the future. We highly recommend them! Signed, a happy mom.”
– Parent Review
Reagan R.
Reagan R. is a recent and proud graduate of Houston’s Rice University. It is here that she earned her Bachelors of Arts in both English Literature and Psychology. With this background, Reagan utilizes a personalized approach to tutoring that recognizes that teaching is not a one-size-fits-all job. Rather, Reagan tutors with adaptability, patience, and individualized lesson plans tailored to each student’s needs. With a calm and encouraging approach, she teaches with the belief that every student learns best when they feel capable and understood. Reagan tutored extensively for her neighborhood and friends of neighbors in her hometown of Dripping Springs, Texas. Now, she is seeking to tutor closer to her new home in New Braunfels, Texas. In her free time, Reagan enjoys staying active with at-home Pilates and taking her dog Travis to the park. No, she is not related to Ryan Reynolds, but she is flattered that you asked. She can’t wait to get acquainted with new faces and promises a genuine investment in each student’s success.
Maria S.
Maria is an experienced educator, curriculum developer, and academic tutor who specializes in helping students strengthen their reading, writing, communication, and overall learning skills. With experience teaching at both the elementary and middle school levels, Maria combines strong classroom expertise with an individualized approach designed to help students become more confident, capable, and independent learners.
Maria earned her degree in Education from California Lutheran University and holds both teaching and ESL certifications. She has spent years working directly with students in the classroom, including several years as a middle school teacher and more recently as a fifth-grade bilingual teacher in North East ISD. She also brings approximately seven years of tutoring experience, giving her extensive practice adapting instruction to the needs of individual learners.
One of Maria’s greatest strengths is her expertise in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and academic language. She helps students develop stronger reading comprehension strategies, organize and communicate ideas more effectively in writing, expand vocabulary, and gain the language skills necessary to understand increasingly complex academic material. Rather than simply helping students complete an assignment, Maria focuses on teaching strategies they can continue using independently.
Her instructional approach is structured, supportive, and highly personalized. Maria establishes clear and achievable learning goals, explicitly models new skills, provides guided practice, and gradually encourages students to work more independently as their confidence grows. She incorporates tools such as sentence frames, thinking routines, modeled responses, vocabulary strategies, and ongoing progress monitoring to make challenging material more accessible and help students recognize their own growth.
Maria has a strong record of student achievement. During the 2023–2024 school year, her classroom achieved the highest STAAR passing rate on her campus, reflecting her ability to combine purposeful planning, high expectations, differentiated instruction, and targeted academic support.
Her experience also extends into curriculum development and instructional design. Maria currently works as a curriculum developer, creating lesson plans, learning activities, assessments, and multimedia instructional resources while also training educators in effectively implementing curriculum materials. This expertise gives her a particularly strong ability to diagnose learning needs, break larger academic goals into manageable steps, and design tutoring sessions around an individual student’s strengths and areas for growth.
Maria provides support across a broad range of subjects, including English, English Language Arts, writing, elementary academics, Algebra, social studies, U.S. History, Spanish, and ESL. She also works with students preparing for the ACT, TEAS, and other academic assessments, helping them strengthen both content knowledge and effective test-taking strategies.
As a bilingual educator who is biliterate in English and Spanish, Maria also tutors conversational, middle school, and high school Spanish. Her understanding of language acquisition benefits students beyond language instruction itself. She understands how vocabulary, sentence structure, comprehension, and communication interact across academic subjects and uses that knowledge to help both monolingual and multilingual students become stronger learners.
Maria has experience differentiating instruction for students representing a wide range of academic abilities and learning needs, including students with learning disabilities. She believes successful tutoring begins by understanding how an individual student learns best and then providing the right combination of structure, encouragement, challenge, and support.
Families appreciate Maria’s thoughtful planning, patience, clear communication, and genuine investment in student progress. Whether she is strengthening a student’s writing, improving reading comprehension, preparing for an important assessment, developing Spanish proficiency, or helping a student regain academic confidence, Maria’s goal is to provide students with the skills and strategies they need for lasting success.
Outside of education, Maria enjoys spending time with her family and dog and staying active. She brings the same warmth, patience, and positive energy she values in her personal life into every tutoring relationship.
“Maria has been my son’s tutor for the spring of second grade and the summer. She is outstanding. She has helped my son very much. She is patient and knowledgeable. She is very good at explaining things in a way that my son can understand. I would highly recommend her. It has been great working with her.”
-Parent Review
Allison A.
Allison A., known as “Dr. Ali” by her students, earned a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from UTHSCSA, an MBA from UTSA, and a BA in Microbiology from the University of Kansas. When not studying, Dr. Ali was a Teaching Assistant for medical and dental students. After overachieving in school, Dr. Ali became a military contractor (Scientist) and spent many years researching things she can’t tell you about. When the pandemic hit, Dr. Ali began homeschooling her own children. Inspired by this experience, she launched a STEM enrichment business that offers hands-on classes for San Antonio homeschoolers. Dr. Ali is committed to building a meaningful connection with each of her students to make learning more enjoyable and engaging. Learning comes in many forms, including playing games and building projects. It doesn’t have to be a chore or a bore. Dr. Ali is the kind of person who took Calculus 3 in college for funsies. With the right instructor, Science and Math can be fun, interactive, and spark curiosity.