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 graduate student at Southern Methodist University (2026), pursuing a Master’s in Education with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concentration. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Richmond (2023), where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Studies with a minor in Business Administration and Dance. While completing her masters program, she received her teaching certification and committed to becoming a SAISD educator for 2 years. In this short timeframe, she was moved by her students’ stories, their passions and interests, and found purpose in helping younger minds flourish. She prioritizes tailoring instruction to meet individual student needs and incorporates practices that inspire curiosity and empower thinkers.  In her spare time, Raven enjoys exercising, creating art, baking, and reading. She loves the San Antonio Spurs, and has fond memories of her youth as their #1 fan. She listens to music of all genres, but 80s alternative, dark wave, and electronic are her favorites (a sucker for synths, obviously).

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.

Viacheslav L.

Viacheslav is an education professional with nine years of college-level tutoring experience. His background and knowledge base is broad, spanning legal studies, ESL, Science, Algebra, Physics, Computer Science, Biology, and Astronomy.  He focuses on clear explanations, structured practice, and real-world examples to build confidence and results. He is also fluent in Russian.

EDUCATION:
MS, Computer Science, Russia
PhD, Social Studies, Russia
JD, Russia
BS, Mechanical Engineering, Russia

Abby G.

Abby has been working in education for nearly six years and is currently in her fifth year of classroom teaching. She has experience working with students across a wide range of grade levels, from Pre-K through 11th grade.

She currently serves as an AP English Language and English I teacher and previously taught middle school Social Studies for four years. Her diverse classroom experience allows her to adapt instruction to meet the needs of different ages and learning styles.

Abby is passionate about helping students experience those meaningful “a-ha” moments that move them to the next level in their learning. She values building strong, positive relationships with her students and believes that children learn best from educators they trust and enjoy working with.

She looks forward to supporting students through personalized, one-on-one instruction and partnering with families to help their children succeed.