Instructors
Each tutor is a top-tier college alumni and possesses an in-depth understanding of the academic experience from the inside out. We hire by recommendation only and thoroughly vet each tutor to insure their proficiency in a variety of subject areas and general study skills preparation. Most importantly, our tutors are more than just teachers: they’re mentors tasked with providing students with the support they need to succeed.
Ellen Richards
Ellen is an expert on every level of the college application process. By serving as the Los Angeles Admissions Liaison for Wellesley College, Ellen spent ten years interviewing countless students and reviewing a myriad of college applications. Her experience endows her with the expertise and deliberate approach that enables students to search for authenticity when applying to college. Ellen recognizes the importance of her role and challenges students to develop their unique strengths. Many clients deem her a “master strategist.” Ellen’s experience and constant research into changing trends that affect students and their life-long education contribute to her deep understanding of every facet of college admissions.
Yasmin grew up in Southern California and attended Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, California. During high school, she enjoyed tutoring fellow students in Algebra and a volunteer at the Glendale Free Health Clinic, in which she still volunteers. After high school graduation in 2006, she attended Glendale Community College (GCC) with Chemistry as her major. She was heavily involved with the Scholars Program at GCC by being the Secretary and Vice President of the finance committee of the organization. She also organized many fundraisers and was in charge of awarding scholarships to outstanding students. At GCC, she was also a tutor at the Math Science Center, tutoring students in Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. In 2008, she transferred to the University of California: Los Angeles (UCLA) as a Chemistry major. She was a member of the Honors Program at UCLA and graduated with Latin Honors (Cum Laude). At UCLA she became a member of the Rotaract Club, in which she participated in many community volunteer activities. Currently, she's attending the Masters of Public Health Program at the University of Southern California (USC). In the Public Health Program her interests lie in data analysis and bio-statistics for the prevention of diseases and promotion of optimal health.
Julia graduated early from Drexel University with a B.S. in biology. She is currently taking time off before graduate school and working in a lab at UCLA for the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Julia has participated in research with the medical directors at UCLA and is published in two journals. She is involved extensively in volunteer work and lived in India for two years working for three non-profit organizations. She travels as much as she can and speaks Spanish and Hindi. Julia loves working with adolescents and is continuously challenging them to develop a passion for learning and creating. She specializes in tutoring biology, Spanish, math, psychology, physics, chemistry and English.
Jonathan graduated from Tufts University with a dual degree in international relations and art history. He simultaneously earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where he concentrated on painting and photography. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Jonathan is the son of Argentina immigrants and grew up in a bi-lingual household. Among other subjects, he specializes in tutoring all levels of Spanish, French 1 and 2, Italian 1, history, biology, and writing. As a tutor, Jonathan seeks to empower his students with the tools and confidence they need in order to face any academics challenge on their own.
Eric graduated magna cum laude from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English and a minor in foreign affairs. He was a National Merit Scholar and his senior thesis was selected for publication in UVA's American Studies journal. He is well-traveled, having studied in London, taught English in China and produced a film in India. Before moving to Los Angeles to enroll in the M.F.A. film production program at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, he lived in New York City, where he worked as a writer and marketing manager. He is currently employed as a teaching assistant for both graduate and undergraduate classes in the film school. As a tutor, he specializes in English, history, government, Spanish, essay writing, SAT prep, critical thinking and study skills.
Catherine Brobeck is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Literature. She previously worked as an executive in the film industry before leaving to pursue writing full time. Since high school, Catherine has been interested in promoting learning, from teaching English to refugees in her home state of Minnesota to volunteering with underprivileged elementary students in Los Angeles, as well as spending each winter as an alumni interviewer for Yale. She believes that education should be exciting and dynamic and brings her love of language and the humanities to all of her students.
Chelsey graduated early from New York University with a B.F.A. in theatre. She has always loved academics and feels fortunate that with her A.P. credits from high school, she was able to test out of an entire year of college. Considering herself a "cool" kid who still did well in school, she loves spreading passion and confidence to her students, hoping that she's making it "cool" to be smart. With one-on-one tutoring, she loves the challenge of discovering each student's needs, and then creating a learning process that motivates and stimulates: "I work hard to create a mutual respect so that the student can feel comfortable to make mistakes, but then also feel a great sense of achievement when they know that they really understand the material. Every student is so different, and I love the process of adapting in order to best help them." Chelsey tutors history, math, English, biology, psychology, Spanish, and ISEE, SAT & ACT prep.
Alexandra graduated with honors from Dartmouth College in 2005, with degrees in Film Studies, French Language and Literature. Originally from the east coast, she spent time living in Paris and New York before relocating to Los Angeles. Alexandra worked as a mentor for at-risk teens in Hollywood, empowering them to express themselves through creative outlets and learn invaluable study and social skills. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for French, English and writing with students, as well as American History, biology, algebra and geometry.
Adam graduated cum laude from Yale University with a BA in literature. After graduating from Yale, he moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry, where he found a job with a newly-formed production company. After two and a half years of reading scripts with the company, he left to write some of his own. In college, he taught for and ran a creative writing classroom program at a nearby elementary school. In high school, he mentored elementary school students in reading and his peers in math. Originally from Miami Beach, he finds the weather in sunny Los Angeles to be on the cold side.
Kimberly received her B.S. in Psychology from UC Davis and has a passion for science, medicine and public health issues. She is currently a Master's of Public Health student at USC and hopes to continue onto a Health Policy Analysis PhD program. She enjoys teaching others and and tutoring in math, science, English, government, and history.
Born and raised in Chicago’s suburbs, Mark Kosin graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a dual degree in History and International Film and New Media Studies in 2007. While at Loyola, he spent a semester abroad a the John Felice Rome Center in Rome, Italy. During that time he also traveled across Italy and much of Europe. He has recently graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts with an M.F.A. in Film and Television Production, with a focus on writing.
Elizabeth was born and raised in San Jose with 3 sisters. Throughout high school, she tutored both her peers and younger students in Math, from 3rd grade to advanced levels. Elizabeth relocated to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where she served as a member of the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Chi Omega and was elected president of the Asian American Business Association for two consecutive years. In addition to mentoring students, her work experience includes multiple internships at various companies including Public identity promotional Marketing Firm, Saturday Night Magazine, Merrill Lynch, and Southern California Edison.When working with students Elizabeth strives to help each student realize their strengths and work to the best of his or her abilities.
Sapna graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Sapna relocated to Los Angeles aspiring to become a professional choreographer and dancer. Along with a strong passion for dance, she hopes to continue her love for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry through tutoring and helping her students excel academically. She encourages her students to find their own passion in order to follow their dreams as well. Sapna is currently a free lance Bollywood/Hip Hop choreographer (represented by DDO Artists Agency) and dancer (represented by McDonald Seltznick Associates).
Kate is from Orange County, CA. In 2007, she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from New York University. She is currently pursuing her MPH in the Child and Family Health track at USC. She works with children and their families in South Los Angeles in an effort to reduce the prevalence of obesity and diabetes and improve their quality of life.
Trevor is a Los Angeles native who graduated from Princeton University in 2006 with a BA in Philosophy. He then went on to complete an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage at Northwestern University in 2008. His background and Jewish upbringing give him a good foundation for teaching composition and the humanities as well as nagging students until they develop guilt complexes. When he’s not distracted by the internet, Trevor is trying his hand at screenwriting.
Jessica attended the University of Southern California, receiving a BA in Theatre and a minor in Communication with an emphasis on the entertainment industry. She has tutored all over the Los Angeles area for the past five years. She has worked for companies that have specialized in English and math, working with students from kindergarten through high school. She has also privately tutored students in English, math, and history. In addition to tutoring, she has worked as a substitute teacher, working in the top private schools in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Culver City, etc. She believes that each tutoring session is different because the student is different, and needs to be taught in a way that brings out his or her best academic performance.
Jon is an aspiring comedy writer, but darn serious about education. After excelling in the rigorous and competitive worlds of Yale (B.A. English '06, winner: T.Whitney Blake Memorial Prize) and USC Film School (M.F.A Writing for Screen and TV '09, winner: School of Cinematic Arts Scholarship), Jon has discovered a passion for teaching as well. Combining a cheerful personality, good humor, and wide-ranging knowledge of subjects as varied as Economics, Latin and SAT/ACT prep, Jon is able to engage his students and explain complex subjects in a memorable way.
Kathleen was born and raised in Southern California and is graduating from USC in May 2011 with a Business Degree, concentrating in International Business and Finance. She will begin her career as a Financial Analyst for the Walt Disney Company, Parks & Resort.
Elizabeth graduated from Yale University in 2005 with a BA in English. She spent the following two years teaching 11th grade English at a private school in Alexandria Virginia, where she also ran an SAT preparation course. She recently relocated in the Los Angeles area to pursue her writing.
Scott graduated with honors from Princeton University in 2007, with a BA in English and a minor in Theater, and was selected to give a light-hearted address during his graduation ceremony. While Scott's academic focus was on English literature and composition, he also excelled in a broad range of subjects, including Spanish, math, and science. Scott aspires to help his students to master their coursework and feel confident in the classroom with his sense of humor and passion for learning. Scott is currently a screenwriter, represented by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.
Bethy graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Science. She received her Master’s in Public Health degree at USC in the Health Promotion & Health Education track on May 11, 2011. She is currently interning at Charles Drew University Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center, while looking for a full-time career position that will enable her to use her MPH degree to the fullest. As an undergrad, she tutored middle school students in the field of science and math. Her future goals are to help those in need, to be a successful public health professional, and to travel the world and implement wellness programs.
Sam Z graduated from Princeton in ’09 with a degree in Mathematics. He says " tutoring is a great way for students to get ahead of the game, fill in missed information, or just look at the material in a different, more creative light". Loves to use black/white boards, chalk, and markers, he encourages students to arrange the information in creative and meaningful ways. The more rigorous the subject, the more interesting and creative the learning endeavor can be! He has over 100 hours of tutor training, and many more hours of experience teaching the basics: calculus, chemistry, physics, trigonometry, algebra, and arithmetic. Enjoys the more advanced material, and have tutored subjects like multi-‐variable calculus, linear algebra, analysis, and number theory. "Math is my specialty, but I do branch out."