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.
Gilbert H.
Gilbert is an experienced mathematics educator, military leader, and data analyst with a unique ability to help students build both academic skills and confidence. He brings over nine years of classroom teaching experience, combined with more than a decade of leadership as a United States Marine Corps artillery officer.
Gilbert taught high school mathematics for nearly a decade, working with over 1,800 students across subjects including Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Quantitative Reasoning, Financial Math, and Precalculus. He is certified in Mathematics (Grades 7–12) and Computer Science and has a strong track record of improving student performance, including increasing class averages and engagement through structured, strategy-based instruction.
In addition to his teaching experience, Gilbert currently serves as a data analyst for the United States Air Force, where he applies advanced problem-solving, data analysis, and systems thinking—skills he brings directly into his tutoring approach. His background allows him to connect math concepts to real-world applications, helping students understand not just how to solve problems, but why the methods work.
Gilbert is passionate about helping students overcome challenges and develop a growth mindset. Drawing from his military leadership experience, he understands that every student learns differently and tailors his instruction to each individual’s strengths, personality, and learning style. He focuses on simplifying complex problems, building effective strategies, and developing the confidence students need to succeed both academically and personally.
Families appreciate Gilbert’s structured, encouraging approach and his ability to motivate students to push past obstacles and reach their full potential.
Outside of tutoring, Gilbert enjoys mentoring others, continuing his professional development, and spending time with his family.
“Have enjoyed working with multiple tutors. So appreciative for the help and consistency of this tutoring service.”
– Parent Review
“This tutoring service is responsive, organized and easy to use! Within 1 hour Taira had responded to my initial request and within a few hours we had two separate, amazing tutors lined up for our high schooler. I highly recommend this tutoring service!!”
-Parent Review
“Have enjoyed working with multiple tutors. So appreciative for the help and consistency of this tutoring service.”
-Parent Review
“We contacted Prep Academy to get our daughter some extra help with SAT preparation, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Taira was extremely helpful and our tutor, Gilbert, was fantastic! He provided excellent academic support and also taught our daughter strategies to stay calm and focused during the test. We truly appreciate all the time, guidance, and encouragement he provided.”
-Parent
Muskaan T.
Hi, I’m Muskaan, a graduate student in Bioengineering at Rice University with a strong interdisciplinary foundation in bioinformatics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics. With over five years of tutoring experience, I’ve had the opportunity to guide high school, undergraduate, and graduate students through subjects such as organic chemistry, biology, genetics, calculus, biostatistics etc. My teaching philosophy centers on turning complex topics into clear, engaging lessons that connect theory to real-world applications. Beyond tutoring, my professional experience spans both academic research and clinical practice from analyzing genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease as a Graduate Researcher at UTHealth Houston, to assisting with pain management and pediatric clinics. These experiences have strengthened my ability to bridge scientific knowledge with practical understanding, which I strive to bring into every session. I’m passionate about helping students not only master challenging material but also build lasting confidence, curiosity, and a genuine appreciation for learning.
Samantha S.
Samantha is a bilingual educator with more than 20 years of experience helping students of all ages discover their strengths and enjoy learning. She has taught everything from core subjects in Elementary to Social Studies and English in Middle School to English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults and is known for turning challenges into confidence-building wins through social-emotional learning (SEL). With a Master’s in Positive Education and certifications in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), English as a Second Language (ESL), Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Family Coaching, Samantha combines expertise with a warm, encouraging approach that brings out the best in every learner. Samantha combines strong academic expertise with a supportive, student-focused approach. She partners with families to ensure students not only improve their grades but also grow in confidence, motivation, and prevailing learning skills. A lifelong student herself, she’s always taking new courses to keep life (and learning) exciting. When she’s not teaching, you’ll probably find her traveling with her family to eco-destinations where she can connect with nature, reading a thrilling novel, or singing her heart out—sometimes all at once!
Anvitha E.
Anvitha Ellanki is a dedicated tutor from San Antonio, Texas, who blends academic excellence with a deep passion for mentoring and service. Graduated in the top 2% of her class at Health Careers High School and an AP Scholar, she has completed 15 AP courses and earned college credits in subjects like medical terminology, calculus, and English. Beyond the classroom, she’s led health fairs, coached debate students, and conducted research on everything from cactus moths to stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Whether she’s tutoring students, prepping students for UIL, or editing essays, Anvitha strives to create engaging, supportive, and personalized learning experiences. She’s fluent in English, Telugu, Tamil, and Spanish, trained in classical Indian dance, and believes that confidence and curiosity are the foundation of any student’s success. When she’s not tutoring, you’ll likely find her volunteering at a local hospital, performing Bharatanatyam on stage, or enthusiastically color-coding yet another planner.