MAHYA S.
Mahya holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration and began her career in foreign trade before discovering her true passion—education. Her love of teaching began early, when she tutored math, chemistry, and biology to high school students, and later continued as she taught English part-time to younger learners for over a decade.
Today, Mahya works with students at the high school level, supporting learners across all grades and subjects. She believes that every child learns differently and that recognizing each student’s individuality helps them thrive. Mahya focuses on helping students build confidence, think critically, and strengthen their problem-solving skills—all while keeping learning enjoyable, engaging, and meaningful. She plans to continue advancing her teaching career by returning to school next year to obtain her Bachelor of Education.
ORLIN V.
Dr. Vakarelov was professor in Philosophy and Information Studies at Duke University, where he taught classes in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also taught for the UBC Master of Data Science program, as well as for the University of Arizona, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toronto, and Humber College. He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Cognitive Science from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in Logic and Computation from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M.A and B.Sc.+– in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Toronto. After home-schooling his son during high school in Vancouver, and after sending him off to join the class of 2027 at Cornell University this coming fall, Dr. Vakarelov will be able to help other students improve their school experience and support them in their preparation for and transition to university. When not teaching, Dr. Vakarelov runs a technology company that develops web software applications.
REX E.
After graduating from the University of Guelph with a MSc degree, Rex conducted research in horticulture, with a focus on forest seedling production and medicinal plants. He designed experiments to improve plant growth and production, collected and analysed data, and wrote research reports. After 10 years, he changed profession to become a teacher. He has been teaching mathematics for more than 20 years, having taught at Collingwood School, Kwantlen Polytechnical University, Crofton House School, and Brockton Preparatory School. Along the way, he was also doing financial calculations as a mortgage broker. Having applied mathematics in the real world, he incorporates his science and financial experiences into his teachings.
KRISTIE H.
In 2021, Kristie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from SFU. She is presently studying for her Bachelor of Education with a focus on secondary English at UBC. Additionally, she is completing her certification as an IB educator. The International Baccalaureate (IB) focuses on inquiry and reflective practice, both of which are at the centre of Kristie’s pedagogical stance. In her free time, Kristie likes to read, explore the mountains of British Columbia, and spend time with her loved ones.
REX E.
After graduating from the University of Guelph with a MSc degree, Rex conducted research in horticulture, with a focus on forest seedling production and medicinal plants. He designed experiments to improve plant growth and production, collected and analysed data, and wrote research reports. After 10 years, he changed profession to become a teacher. He has been teaching mathematics for more than 20 years, having taught at Collingwood School, Kwantlen Polytechnical University, Crofton House School, and Brockton Preparatory School. Along the way, he was also doing financial calculations as a mortgage broker. Having applied mathematics in the real world, he incorporates his science and financial experiences into his teachings.
STEPHANIE F.
Stephanie brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to her role as an educator, with extensive experience working one-on-one with children who face a wide range of learning challenges. Her background includes specialized training in remedial reading programs such as The Wilson Program, Direct Instruction, and UFLI, equipping her with proven strategies to support students in developing essential literacy skills.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in English from Simon Fraser University and is a qualified EAL (English as an Additional Language) instructor. Her teaching focus spans middle and high school students in Humanities and English composition, as well as Primary and Junior students in literacy and remedial reading support.
In addition to her work locally, Stephanie has also supported numerous students internationally, helping them acquire and refine their English language skills. Her ability to tailor instruction to the unique needs of each learner ensures that every student feels supported and empowered in their academic journey. Stephanie’s passion for education and her dedication to fostering growth make her an invaluable resource for her students and their families.
ABIGAIL F.
Abigail is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Concurrent Education BAH/B.Ed program with qualifications in Geography and Biology and a specialization in School and Classroom Leadership. She has experience with the International Baccalaureate program and students with exceptionalities.
Abigail’s teaching philosophy revolves encouraging students to rethink their perception of a subject area through engaging inquiry based activities. She prioritizes real life connections to spark interest and provide the ‘why’ behind the content.
Abigail was born in Halifax, NS and moved to BC in 2022. She is passionate about sustainability and bee conservation, and loves to try out new recipes, ski, and read in her free time.
HANA K.
Hana graduated from the Simon Fraser University with a M.Sc. in Mathematics with a 3.3 GPA. She was born in Iran and took both B.Sc. and M.Sc. certificates in the field of Geometry when she was her my country. Hana am currently taking a Mater’s degree in the field of Algebraic Geometry at Simon Fraser University.
Hana was a teacher assistant for undergraduate students. Besides her studies, she has more than 6 years of experience in a high school environment. Hana has worked with Kumon
and Mathnasium, where she prepared and ran after-school tutoring for students.
As a young child, Hana has always helped her classmates and cousins with their math homework, and enjoyed sitting with them while they were working on their math work and grading their assignments. She is enthusiastic to find out the needs of individual students to enhance learning and promote their continence for educational success.
In her spare time, Hana loves to ride her mountain bike. It’s her favourite way of getting fresh air, boosting her energy and staying motivated. Hana is also passionate about percussion instruments and she enjoys gathering with her friends to play them. Hana believes that creating rhythms motivates students to learn mathematical concepts while studying the underlying structure of a wide range of musical patterns. Mathematics then becomes a creative tool that students use to compose their own rhythmic music.
RAYMOND W.
Raymond is a second-year university student at the University of British Columbia, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. Raymond has professionally and informally worked as a tutor, teaching students aged between 7 to 18. Raymond grew up in Guangzhou, China, and is fluent in English and Mandarin. Allowing him to teach all of his classes in both languages, ensuring and guaranteeing that his students may understand the materials best. As Raymond transferred to Canada at the age of 13, he understands the struggles of learning English as a second language and has devoted all of his time to ensuring that students may perform to their best extent.
Raymond has been academically strong in English and social sciences, so he has always been keen to assist his friends and classmates in developing their English skills. He found joy in teaching and seeing the academic performance of his classmates grow tremendously. Such an experience had grown into Raymond’s desire to teach English and other social science classes. Raymond, although relatively young, has worked with a vast myriad of students in tutoring. He has worked with university students, secondary school students, elementary school students and preschool students. He has experience tutoring students from Simon Fraser University, SAT preparations, IB and other high school subjects. Raymond forms deep connections with his students because of their relatively close age range and tends to feel more like a friend of the students rather than a teacher.
Overall, Raymond perfectly balances friendliness with professionalism and is an excellent choice for creating dedicated lesson plans to assist your child in their academic development.
ARZIK B.
Arzik is a BC Certifed Teacher with Master Degree from Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris. She has several years of teaching experience with K-G12 students and adults. Her main goal as a language teacher is to develop learners’ spoken interaction competences, so I focus on all 4 sections of a language (reading, writing, speaking and listening). Arzik’s classes are tailored to her students’ goals and interests. She teaches French language based on BC Curriculum and prepares for DELF/DALF exams, as well as Arzik gives cultural training to students planning to pursue higher studies abroad.
Arzik is enthusiastic about teaching and always involves her students into diverse activities considering their personal interests and incorporating different learning strategies in order to develop critical thinking, creative writing and analyses.