Certified Tutors

Name	Subjects	Description	Education
Adria Banihashemi	English	Adria grew up in Sacramento and then moved to the Bay Area to attend San Francisco State University where she graduated with highest honors. She then earned her K-8 teaching credential at California State University Sacramento. For the last five years Adria has taught elementary and middle school up through 7th grade and was most recently a strength teacher in English/Language Arts and language development for bilingual students. She is currently working on her Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology, studying learning theory, educational research and student motivation.	BA in Psychology, SFSU California Professional Clear Teaching Credential with English Learner Authorization, California State University Sacramento
Alan Liu	Math	Alan Liu is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in Electrical Engineering. He has taught and tutored Math related subjects to college and high school students including his peers. During his free time, Alan loves to listen to music, draw, design and play badminton. Currently, Alan is pursuing a Web Designer and 3D animation certificates. He enjoys learning and wants to share his knowledge with his students and peers.	B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Albert Yu	English, SAT Verbal	Albert attended Milton Academy, a prestigious private school in Boston, before graduating from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. Albert has tutored a range of different students from 3rd graders to college students. He has also taught English in taiwan to students as well as conducting a Hotel English training class to hotel employees for ELSI Language School in Taipei. After spending many years in the hotel industry, he is looking to apply to business school and possibly pursue a career as college professor. In his spare time, Albert enjoys traveling, going to concerts, playing tennis, reading, eating out at new restaurants, watching movies, and being active in the local Chinese American community.	B.S. in Hotel Management, Cornell University
Alexis LeCount	French	Alexis has enjoyed working with students as the After School Director at Prospect Sierra School in the East Bay. She is experienced in tutoring and has strengths particularly in French and English as she studied abroad for a full year in Montpellier, France during her junior year in college. Alexis grew up in California, earned a BA from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and now lives in San Jose.	B.A. in French, Mount Holyoke College
Ali Rajai	Math, Physics, Chemistry	Dr. Ali Rajai has a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Princeton University and started his formal calculus teaching at Princeton in 1996. Ali has more than 20 years of tutoring experience in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. He is currently involved in research at UC Berkeley.	Ph.D. in Mathematics, Princeton University M.S. in Mathematics, Princeton University
Alice Hu	Math	Alice Hu graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She holds a single subject teaching credential in the subject of Mathematics. She is currently a full-time teacher at Aragon High School in San Mateo and has enjoyed teaching at the school for 9 years. She has taught Algebra 1-2, Geometry, Algebra 3-4, PreCalculus, and Statistics using a wide range of methods throughout the years. She has also tutored countless students in the San Mateo area. Being a teacher at Aragon gives Alice a chance to give back to the community she grew up in.	B.S. Mathematics, UC, Berkeley
Amber R. Godey	English	Amber Godey recently received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before attending graduate school she received her B.A. in English at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She has extensive experience teaching and tutoring English, Literature, Composition, Reading and Italian language in the U.S. and abroad.	Ph.D. in Comparative Literature UC, Santa Barbara B.A. in English Bowdoin College
Amy Lin	English	Amy has been tutoring since college. She enjoys working with students of all ages and backgrounds. Her strengths are helping second language learners transition to English and making learning fun and interactive. For seven years, she taught at a public elementary school in Fremont. She is currently working as a writer/editor for a trade magazine, although she may return to the classroom this fall.	B.A. in Liberal Studies with English/French Options, CSU East Bay
Amy Wong	Math, Physics, SAT Math	Amy's first experience teaching was when she taught a few neighborhood children to play classical piano. Since then, Amy's passion for teaching has remained strong. She graduated from Castilleja School with top honors and continued her studies at Yale University where she earned a bachelors of science in Electrical Engineering. While at Yale, Amy tutored high school and college students in diverse fields such as Math, Engineering, English, and Economics. She is currently in the process of pursuing a Master's degree.	B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Yale University
Ana M. Ventura	English	Ana Maria Ventura holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Utah as well as a Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She has taught English, Humanities, and Creative Writing in public and private elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools, as well as at the university level. She has tutored several students in English and Language Arts, and is currently pursuing a California Teaching Credential at San Francisco State University. In her spare time, she likes to work on her novel-in-progress, rock climb, and spend time with friends and family.	B.A. in English, University of Utah M.A. in English & Creative Writing, SF State University
Anand U Oza	Chemistry	Anand Oza graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a major in Chemistry and a certificate in Applied and Computational Mathematics. A member of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa and the scientific research society Sigma Xi, he is an author on a chemical physics publication and is working on a scientific paper in the field of mathematical physics. While in college, Anand was a chemistry and mathematics tutor at Princeton High School, and a physics and mathematics peer tutor at the university level. Anand will begin a Ph.D program in Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fall 2009 and is a recipient of the Hertz Foundation Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Anand believes that teaching should be an active and engaging learning experience for both the student and the tutor. He thinks that the goal of tutoring should be to instill the teacher's passion for a subject in the students, s o that they are motivated to study it further by themselves.	B.S. in Chemistry, Princeton University Certificate in Applied, Computational Mathematics
Andrew Chan	Math, AP Chemistry, AP Physics	Prior to being a substitute teacher in local schools, Andrew was working at NASA in Mountain View for 6 years, in where he not only helped to develop different research projects, but also involved in several community education programs.	Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Texas M.S. in Electrical Engineering, San Jose State University B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Nebraska
Andy Kotecki	Biology, Chemistry, Math	Andy graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin, receiving B.S. degrees in chemical engineering and biochemistry. For the past three years, he has been a full-time R&D scientist in Pleasanton, CA. He has three years of tutoring experience, helping younger undergraduates through their math and science coursework during college. Andy enjoys tutoring, and looks forward to helping students grow academically. Specifically, he hopes to show students how math and science can be applied to everyday life.	B.S. in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin
Anna Ko	English, Spanish	Anna is a graduate of UC Davis with a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish. She enjoys teaching and learning languages. Apart from her majors she has dedicated two years learning Italian and one learning Arabic. Anna's passion is exploring the science of language and communicating with people of all walks of life. Prior to her time in college, she was trained and did volunteer work in the Dominican Republic, where she taught English among many other projects. During college Anna studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for a year, where she taught with Canterbury English, picked up a martial art and maintained stellar grades. Between classes at UC Davis, Anna has done several intercultural exchanges with students from Italy, Korea, Spain and Saudi Arabia. She enjoys teaching people of all ages; she has taught languages to seniors, adults, college students, high school students and primary school students. More recently, Anna has taught English to migrant farm workers at the Dixon Migrant Camp. In her spare time, Anna enjoys learning languages, reading, and doing yoga and martial arts.	B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish, UC Davis
Arathi Ravichandran	Spanish	Arathi graduated from George Washington University in May 2005 with a double major in Economics and International Affairs. Her interest in economic development and public health began during her undergraduate years when she received the Everett Public Service Internship Award and spent 4 months working for the Global Trade Watch Division of Public Citizen. In addition, she spent six months in East Africa studying economic development with SIT's Kenya: Development, Health, and Society program in the spring of 2004. After graduating from university, she received the Notre Dame Realize Fellowship and worked for one year in conjunction with ACCION USA and Notre Dame's Mendoza School of business in helping to create a new undergraduate course, "Micro-Venturing", focused on micro-enterprise development and social entrepreneurship. Arathi spent the last two years working in the field of social entrepreneurship and public health in Guatemala with Community Enterprise Solutions. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and speaks conversational Tamil and Kiswahili.	B.A Economics & International Affairs, George Washington University
Athena Chuang	Chemistry	Ever since she completed formal tutor training in the year 2000, Athena has been assisting all types of students with their studies. In college, Athena was a teaching assistant for 3 classes and she was nominated to the Golden Key Honors Society. She also received research scholarships and has presented her work at UC Berkeley. Athena is currently helping students in high school chemistry, SAT II Chemistry, and MCAT Chemistry. She also just recently passed the Chemistry III subject examination to become certified to teach chemistry in California.	B.S. with Honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis
Azure Brown	English	Azure Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a secondary teaching credential in English from San Jose State University. She has 10 years of experience working in education, as an academic advisor, tutor, English teacher and assistant principal. Azure enjoys helping students create individualized plans to meet their goals and finding strategies that work for each student's learning style. She is currently taking time away from working full-time to spend more time with her two young children.	B.A. American Literature, U.C. Santa Cruz California Professional Clear Teaching Credential, San Jose State University
Bertrand Lui	Math, Physics	Bertrand was a Richter Scholar for the Laboratory for Spacecraft and Mission Design at Caltech University. He was also a teaching assistant for two years where he demonstrated lectures in modern optics. Bertrand is currently carrying out his passion for teaching and tutoring at ThinkTank Learning while attending Stanford University to obtain his PhD in Bioengineering.	B.S. in Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology
Bing Wan	Math, SAT Math, Physics	Bing graduated Summa Cum Laude from SJSU with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a Minor in Math. His tutoring experience began as an AVID tutor helping middle school and high school students in their after school tutorial sessions. Bing furthered his tutoring career by teaching Digital Design Labs at SJSU for 3 semesters before he graduated. He not only helped the students with their design projects but also voluntarily prepared them for any upcoming midterm or final exams in a classroom environment. Bing enjoys helping students and takes pride in their academic success. Bing is currently working for a Fortune 500 company as a Software Developer. However, he has not given up his passion in teaching and continues to inspire students to succeed.	B.S. in Computer Engineering, San Jose State University
Bonnie Jim	Math	Bonnie Jim graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with B.A. degrees in Economics and Linguistics, as well as with B.S. degree in Business Administration. She started tutoring and mentoring when she was in high school and continued throughout her college years. She has been working with kids from various ages and backgrounds, and she has been teaching various subjects in one-on-one setting as well as in a group. She loves working with kids. Not only does she want to provide them with academic support, but she also wants to motivate and inspire them in positive ways. Bonnie enjoys teaching students and learning from them. She loves traveling, learning different languages and playing musical instruments during her free time.	B.A. in Economics and Linguistics B.S. Business Administration UC, Berkeley
Bopha Sun	Chemistry, AP-Biology, Math	Bopha graduated from the University of the Pacific with a B.S. in Chemistry-Biology and a minor in Business Management. She is currently finishing up her thesis at California State University Eastbay. She has 6 years of experience tutoring children ranging from as young as 5 to students who are in college. While in the process of finishing up her M.S. in Chemistry, she is currently working as a Production Scientist. Someday in the near future, she would like to teach Chemistry at a community college.	B.S. in Chemistry-Biology, University of the Pacific
Brent Palmer	Math	A solid mathematics foundation in high school led Brent to pursue an Electrical Engineering degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He considers an understanding of math a critical foundation for any serious student because it lays the groundwork for rational thinking so necessary in post-secondary coursework. In his present occupation, Brent combines his technical background with business prowess. A stint in banking while pursuing his degree led him to gravitate toward a management position in the commercial electrical construction industry. He participated in peer tutoring in math while in high school.	B.S. in Electrical Engineer Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Bridgit Taylor	English, SAT	Bridgit loves English and writing, and she enjoys teaching students to love them too! Bridgit has a very strong language arts background. She was in the Honors English program while she was in high school and took AP English as a senior. She passed the SAT II in English with a score high enough to skip her first year of freshman college English at Santa Clara University, where she earned a B.S. in Psychology. During her time in college, she tutored children in English grammar and reading at a San Jose middle school. Bridgit then went on to complete her Master of Arts degree in Women's Studies at the University of Memphis. She believes a solid understanding of grammar, as well as organized writing, will bring success to students in any discipline, and they promote clear thinking and good communication in all areas of life. She is looking forward to passing on her love of language to her students!	B.S. Psychology, Santa Clara University
Brittany Lovejoy	English, SAT English	Brittany Lovejoy graduated Cum Laude from Claremont McKenna College with dual majors in Government and Literature. While in college she served as a research assistant at an international politics think-tank, was a legislative intern at the Office of California Assembly-member Alberto Torrico, headed her college's community service office, and helped provide aid and asylum to victims of political torture at Survivors International in San Francisco. She was admitted the University of California Berkeley Law School in 2007 but decided to defer her admission to 2009 in order to teach in low-income schools with the nationally recognized teaching program, Teach For America. After teaching 9th grade English in Watts, California, Brittany took a position teaching 9th and 10th grade English in at Gilroy High School here in the bay area. In her free time Brittany loves to travel - while in college she spent 6 months in Hong Kong and would love to return some day!	B.A. in Government and Literature, Claremont McKenna College
Carey Cress	English, SAT Verbal	As a teaching assistant in graduate school, Carey helped her students improve the quality of their writing and research projects. She worked as a research analyst, writer, and corporate trainer for seven years before becoming a tutor. She enjoys working with children of all ages, and feels that the process of learning should be an enjoyable experience for them. In order to teach more effectively, she continues to study topics such as increasing student motivation and making the most of every student's preferred learning style.	B.A. in International Relations, UC Davis M.A. in Comparative Politics with an Emphasis in Research Methods, UC Riverside
Carlos Angel	Spanish	Carlos Angel is a native Spanish Speaker who moved to San Jose in 1997. He studied Civil Engineering in Bogota, Colombia and continued his studies at De-Anza College. He became an Spanish Tutor on this Campus as well as an assistant teacher for an Spanish Class. Today he works on Real Estate and mortgages but still enjoys to teach and share his knowledge with students. He enjoys sharing and learning about the different cultures which makes the Bay Area a very special place to live in the world. During his free tome he enjoys simple pleasures of life like Practicing Sports, Listening to Music, Cooking and Chating to people.	Civil Engineering, Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia
Carol Enos	History	Carol has been a teacher in the public schools for 34 years. She has experience both in special education and in the regular classroom, teaching US History at the eighth grade level. Carol has a passion for teaching history and enjoys sparking an interest in the subject in her students by linking current events with historical ones. Her special education background enables her to assess her students?learning styles and then devise alternative approaches to mastering academic subjects. She believes that successful students have strong organization and time management skills, and she helps her students develop systems for managing their academic workloads. Carol holds a Master's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology, and five credentials in Speech Pathology and Audiology, Learning Handicapped, Resource Specialist, Single Subject History and the CLAD.	B.A./M.A. Speech Pathology and Audiology San Jose State University
Charles Hand	Math	Charles Hand has always been fascinated by math, science, and technology. Throughout his professional career, he has worked in highly technical and research intensive positions at companies and science laboratories like IBM, NASA, Oak Ridge, and several university AI labs. In the last six years, he has concentrated on teaching Math and Technology courses to students from K-12 and obtained a math credential to teach for the Los Angeles Union School District. He takes pride in his teaching and attributes his success to paying attention to what students are having trouble with and focusing on those specific areas.	B.A. in Math, University of Kansas M.A. in Math, University of Kansas
Charles Vaughan	Math	Charles graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with his bachelor's in mathematics. After graduating from UT, he did math tutoring at Austin Community College before pursuing his master's in mathematics at Indiana University. During his time at Indiana University, Charles was an associate instructor of math, tutored math in Spanish for the campus' Latino Cultural Center, and was an adjunct instructor of math for neighboring Franklin College. After graduating, Charles entered the timeshare industry to provide statistical forecasting models of supply and demand. Charles then took up statistical analysis positions for a small biotechnology startup and pharmaceutical company respectively. After following his first passion of mathematics, Charles then returned to school to follow his second passion - theology. After receiving his master's in theology from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, he taught at the high school level for several years and developed teaching methods to reach teenagers today.	B.A. in Math, University of Texas M.A. in Math, Indiana University M.A. in Theology, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Cheryl Peevyhouse	English	Cheryl is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University, where she was the vice president of the school's English honor society. Her other experiences working with young people include volunteering as a tutor for underprivileged middle graders, working at a summer camp, and volunteering as a soccer coach. Her first novel for young readers, Last Midnight, will be published by Disney/Hyperion in Fall 2008 under her pen name, Parker Peevyhouse. She has also published a short story for young readers in Disney Adventures Magazine.	B.A. in English, Azusa Pacific University
Chithra Karunakaran	Biology	Chithra has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and M.Sc. in Biotechnology. She has a natural passion for teaching and has tutored her peers informally in school and college. She has won many national level scholarships during her college years. She also teaches Tamil, a South Indian language, to elementary school students. Apart from teaching, she is involved in a lot of cultural activities involving children - has staged many dramas and music programs.	Ph.D. Biochemistry in University of Madras, India
Chris Dicksion	SAT, Alg	Chris has had the great opportunity of being able to blend studies in social sciences with studies in physical sciences. With formal training and a degree in Anthropology from UCSC. He is now studying chemistry and mathematics, with a particular focus on the chemical nature of human-environment interactions, with the goal of obtaining a Ph.D and becoming a teacher. Chris began his teaching/tutoring career a few years back at a Junior College in southern California. In this role, Chris was teaching a variety of classes that ranged from Natural Science to Economics to Writing Composition and Grammar. He has also developed significant experience tutoring aspiring students for many standardized tests, including the SAT Reasoning Test, Subject tests, and the ACT. In his spare time, Chris enjoys ‘making noise’ on his drum set, consuming the wonderful variety of foods that are to be found in the Bay Area, riding his bicycle, and reading the fascinatingly funny and enlightening stories by Tom Robbins.	B.A. in Anthropology, UCSC
Chris Wong	Biology	Chris graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Biology and a minor is Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He has previous experience tutoring Algebra to middle school and high school students. Chris was also an undergraduate researcher at the Jacob's Lab in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Chris was part of Pre-SOMA, a pre-osteopathic medicine society on campus. His goal is to help teach students in a way that is fun and stimulating to help them reach their full potential.	B.S. in Biology, minor Atmospheric, Oceanic Sciences, UCLA
Christina Briones	Biology and Math	Christina graduated from the University of California in San Diego, receiving her BS in General Biology. Throughout high school and college, she tutored 4th grade to high school students in math and the sciences. In college, Christina really enjoyed her biology courses and also rediscovered her passion for tutoring her students and watching them succeed so she decided to pursue a career in teaching. She is currently working on receiving a double teaching credential in Math and Biology at San Francisco State University. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, walking her dog, hanging out with her family, trying new food, going to the beach, and finding hidden treasures on her home turf.	B.S. in General Biology, UC, San Diego
Christina Nguyen	Biology and SAT Math	Christina graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. She loves to teach and motivate students to excel in their classes. At UCLA, Christina was apart of the teaching staff of an upper division laboratory course, where she prepared quizzes, set up experiments, and instructed students. She was also an undergraduate researcher in the UCLA School of Medicine - Cole Lab and officer of a pre-professional society on campus. Christina was previously a Teacher's Assistant and tutored math courses as well.	B.S. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA
Christine Pham	Chemistry and Biology	Christine Pham is a graduate of San Jose State University with a B.A. in Chemistry and a minor in Biology. At SJSU, she acquired a publication in relation to her undergraduate research studies and will be presenting her work to the American Chemical Society. Christine is experienced in tutoring Chemistry related subjects to college students. Also, she has been teaching Vietnamese to range from 11-18 year old students at Gunderson High school for 6 years. Her goals are to attend dental school in the next few years and continue spreading the knowledge that she’s learned throughout the courses of her college career to those in need of it. She enjoys playing the piano, guitar, badminton, reading, traveling, and community volunteer work. Christine believes that everyone is intelligent and full of information but it is with good influence that they will share their knowledge and express the strength of their wisdom to succeed. She believes that learning should only be fun, not tiresome.	B.A. in Chemistry and minor in Biology, San Jose State University
Christopher Peter Parris	History	Peter has been teaching Ancient, World, and U.S. History in the Campbell Union School District since 2003. He holds a single subject teaching credential in the field of social studies as well. Peter enjoys organizing history related field trips for his students.	B.A. in History, San Jose State University
Chiuwen Wu	Chinese	Chiuwen holds a B.A. in Russian back in her hometown Taiwan. She then came to the United States in the year of 2003 to pursue her master’s in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Due to her strong passion for foreign languages and cultures, she has always been actively involved in teaching/tutoring individuals foreign languages as well as doing languages exchange through all her academic years & after graduation. She experienced teaching students of all age groups English as a Second Language back in Taiwan, and was honored to be awarded Best Teacher of the Year in Hess Educational Organization. After then, during her studies in Indiana University, she was granted Associate Instructorship which provided her with the great opportunity and challenge to teach college students Elementary Russian. At all times, she has been tutoring or doing language exchange in Chinese so that she and her students or peers can share their different cultures and life experiences. She believes that by creating a relaxing and fun learning environment, students can really enjoy the process and stay motivated, which is more conductive to excelling in learning a second language. Apart from teaching, she loves cinema, music, arts & crafts, traveling, reading, cooking, adventures…. there are simply too many wonderful things to enjoy in life!	M.A. in Slavic Languages & Literatures, Indiana University B.A. in Russian, NCCU, Taiwan
Cindy Dinh	Speech and Communication, English, & Math	Cindy Dinh believes that good communication skills are essential to success in school, career, and life. Cindy received her B.A. in Sociology at UCLA and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Communication Studies at San Jose State University where is she is invited each semester to guest lecture. As she has been a performing artist in acting and dance for over 13 years, she understands the importance of expressing herself to audiences. In the same vein, Cindy understands that her experience in performing arts has fed into her confidence as a public speaker. Knowing the power of the spoken word has prompted her to devote her career to teaching others how to express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings publicly. She feels it is important for young students to conquer anxieties around communication to increase confidence. Combining her experiential knowledge in academic teaching and corporate training, she has designed an innovative Communication & Debate curriculum by incorporating the best practices from college communication classes and professional presentation training, and carefully adapted them for younger students.	B.A. in Sociology UCLA
Dan Blanchette	English	Dan Blanchette earned his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley. He then earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Golden Gate University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Blanchette was an instructor in the “Street Law Program”, through which he taught practical law to high school students in Oakland, California. In his final year of law school, he was a teaching assistant for criminal litigation, helping second year law students hone their legal writing skills. Before going to college, Mr. Blanchette spent two years studying acting in San Francisco, and five years as a working musician. He is now pursuing a career in educational law. Mr. Blanchette is an active member of the Golden Key International Honour Society for Academic Achievement. His goal is to see that students not only survive the university experience, but to prepare them to truly succeed.	B.A. English Literature, UC, Berkeley
Daniel Ni	Math, SAT Math	Daniel Ni graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S in Electrical Engineering. Daniel has worked at Intel Corporation and Genesis Microchip as an engineer and has played various roles in marketing and program management. Daniel has been tutoring algebra and mathematics since his college days at U.C. San Diego. Daniel currently helps business owners as a business broker at a local brokerage and loves to tutor in his spare time. He also is currently pursuing his Certified Financial Analyst(CFA) Charter.	B.S. in Electrical Engineering, UC San Diego
Daniel Kwan	Chemistry, Math, SAT Math	Daniel is involved in academic honor societies as a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and the Golden Key International Honor Society. While studying at Berkeley, Daniel tutored high school students in the subjects of math and chemistry. He started and taught the only "Conversational English Class for International Students" at U.C. Berkeley and recently partnered this class with the Education Abroad Program (EAP) at Cal. Applying this experience, Daniel has gone abroad and taught conversational English in China to college students at Tsinghua and Jiaotong University for two consecutive summers. Showing an interest in helping other students, Daniel hosted a college panel for high school students and parents to find out more about the life and struggles of college students; more importantly, the panel provided a chance for these students and parents to learn how to better prepare themselves socially for college. Daniel plans to go to medical school and pursue public health work internationally.	B.S. in Chemical Biology, UC Berkeley
Daria Simionescu	Math, Economics	Daria has eight years of tutoring experience in mathematics and various subjects. As a U.C. Berkeley alumna with a degree in Economics, she is academically oriented and loves sharing her passion for math with others. She has tutored students from elementary to college level, including ESL students. She challenges herself and her students to achieve results, whether working with disadvantaged students as a volunteer, mentoring discouraged students, or helping disentangle the intricacies of advanced calculus.	B.A. in Economics, UC Berkeley
David Saenz	English	David Saenz has recently graduated from Cal State, East Bay (CSUEB) with a B.A. in History. After graduation, he started working at CSUEB's Student Center for Academic Achievement as a writing tutor. For over a year he has tutored all levels of undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of their language background, in a variety of writing and researching techniques and styles. He loves reading and helping others develop and succeed in their scholastic endeavors, and it will not be long before he will pursue a Masters degree.	B.A. in History, CSU, East Bay
David Sarkis	Spanish, Biology	David Sarkis has had a vested interest in education. As an undergraduate, he worked as an English tutor, helping students with a wide range of needs from formulating arguments for papers to instructing basic grammar in ESL classes. While serving as a teacher's assistant at Berkeley, David honed his tutoring skills by investigating the art of teaching. His exposure to Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences inspired him. From then on, David dedicated his free time to exploring teaching modalities with his tutees. A Molecular and Cell Biology major at Berkeley, David explored both of his academic passions: science and language. After graduating, he worked as a research associate investigating the neural and genetic processes of addiction, taking breaks to travel to Central and South America as a community development volunteer. He is excited to maintain his engagement with education as a tutor for Think Tank Learning and contribute to the learning process.	B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Dominic Abucejo	Computer Science	Dominic has been doing software development for more than 13 years as a profession. In all, he has been programming for about 22 years. His first computer that he ever programmed with was a Tandy computer but he programmed mostly on an Apple IIe system using the BASIC computer language during his early start as a programmer. He now has experience using various computer languages such as Assembly, C, C++, C#, Java, HTML, XML, Perl, Visual Basic plus many other software technologies. He has experience developing all kinds of software applications on Unix/Linux and Windows operating systems. He is currently working as a software engineer for a telecommunications company in Santa Clara writing Windows device drivers for a specialized Voice over IP telephone system. Early on in his profession, he taught many software professionals on how to develop voicemail applications using proprietary software development kits. This included training in both application usage and application development. Outside of work, he enjoy mountain biking, running, and reading science-fiction books and scientific articles related to the science community.	B.S. in Computer Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Eddie LaMeire	English, Writing	Eddie attended San Francisco University High School and was later recruited to play baseball at Loyola University, where he graduated with honors in a double major of English and Philosophy. Eddie's job has revolved around writing and college admissions, as he worked in both the Loyola University and UC San Diego offices of admissions. He also served as a publication writer for both schools. Currently he works as both an Assistant College Admission Consultant and a teacher at TTLearning. Eddie considers one of the purposes of education, especially as it pertains to reading and writing, to be providing students with an arsenal that they can use throughout their lives to achieve a degree of success. Eddie believes that people judge you on how you write and how you speak; he gets a thrill from helping students of all ages improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Eddie likes reading, writing, watching and playing sports during leisure time.	M.A. in Public Policy, Boston College B.A. in English and Philosophy, Loyola University
Edward Yang	Math, SAT Math	Edward Yang grew up in the Fremont neighborhood since his teenage year. He is a graduate of Cal State Hayward with a BS degree in Applied Mathematics. He has taught and tutored Math related subjects to college and high school students in the Fremont area. Edward is employ by the Fremont Unified School District for the past two academic years.	B.S in Applied Math, CSU, Hayward
Emily Hsia	Biology	Emily recently graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Biological Sciences and a minor in Sociology. She hopes to become a surgeon in the Unites States Medical Corps one day and is currently applying to medical schools. In her spare time, Emily enjoys painting, playing with her dogs, and riding horses. Emily has tutored kids of all ages and taught horse back riding for many years. She knows how important self motivation is and works hard to inspire her students to develop a thirst for learning.	B.S in Biological Sciences, UC Davis
Fang Yuan	Math, Physics, Chemistry	Fang Yuan has been a tutor with ThinkTank Learning for about two years and has tutored many students who have been studying in quite famous universities. He served as a tutor at BYU for several years while he studied in his graduate program. He is good at physics, math, and chemistry. He helps his students understand the concepts quickly, and also inspires them to develop great interest and motivation in their subjects.	Ph.D. in Physics, Brigham Young University B.S in Physics, Fudan University
Franklin Mena	Spanish	Frank was raised in San Francisco where he graduated from Lowell High School in 1970 with a major in both Math and Science. He then attended the College of San Mateo in graduated in 1972 with an AA Degree in the Liberal Arts. Frank is completely bi lingual and speaks and writes in both the English and Spanish Languages. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a BA in the Spanish Language Department's encompassing Latin American Studies program. During the course of his working life, Frank has successfully interwoven his academic studies along with the business of International Trade and has established successful working relationships with U.C. Berkeley's Survey Research Center, Levi Strauss, Cisco Systems and Apple Computers. He now resides in Burlingame where he enjoys, playing guitar, tennis, hiking, the movies, and reading Latin American Literature.	B.A. Spanish encompassing Latin American Studies, UC, Berkeley
Gene Wang	English and SAT English	Gene graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with dual degrees in English and Mass Communications. High performance in both fields led to his achieving academic honors, admittance to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society, and winning the H. W. Hill and James W. Phelan scholarships for work in English. Gene also completed a six-month English Literature program held at King's College, University of London and at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. A local, he grew up attending both public and private schools in Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Saratoga and now dedicates himself to giving back to this community. Having taught a wide variety of students at SCORE! Educational Learning Centers in Albany and Montclair, as well as having privately tutored SAT English for a smaller clientele, Gene hopes to share with his Think Tank students all his experiences, excitement, and enthusiasm. He has, over time, developed a consistent teaching philosophy based on inspiring every individual into becoming a confident, self-challenging, and critical thinker. At home, Gene also enjoys reading, writing, swimming, tennis, dance, and theatre, as he believes life is too short to be spent sitting all day in front of a computer (though he is often guilty of this, too). Finally, Gene speaks fluent Mandarin and spends some time every week working as an administrative assistant and radio production intern at Sing Tao Chinese Radio (FM 96.1). Tune in, and you just might hear his voice on a commercial!	B.A. in English, UC Berkeley B.A. in Mass Communication, UC Berkeley
Greg Pensinger	English	Greg studied English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University in California’s Silicon Valley. While at SJSU, he maintained a 3.66 GPA within the major and worked as a Writing Specialist at the Writing Center. While working at the Writing Center, Greg tutored a wide range of students: from those learning English as a second language to those working on their Master’s theses and Ph.D. Dissertations. He received excellent reviews from his students and his colleagues, and had many of his students returning for multiple and consistent tutoring sessions. Greg’s biggest successes and most consistent students were those who were learning English as their second language; a fact that Greg attributes to his everlasting patience and passion for teaching. Though he is no longer in school, Greg is still a student of the English language, and he considers his study of Modern (Standard) English grammar an ongoing and thoroughgoing process. After graduating from SJSU in May, Greg is currently on a break from school; however, he plans to earn his California State Teaching Credential in English in the near future.	B.A. English & Comparative Literature - San Jose State University
Heather Lyon	Biology	Heather graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a B.S. in biology and went on to get her M.S. in biology from the University of Central Arkansas. While getting her B.S., she completed two summer research internships at the National Center for Toxicological Research and published paper in the journal Cancer Letters. She has been teaching at the college level for the past seven years. She loves teaching biology and showing students how biology relates to their daily life.	B.S. in Biology, Arkansas Tech University M.S. in Biolioy, University of Central Arkansas
Heather Stanger	English	Heather Stanger is a graduate student at San Jose State University. She has a B.A. in English and is currently working on her M.A. in English literature. For the past five years, she has been tutoring students of all ages in reading and writing. She directed her undergraduate university's writing center as well as led a summer ESL program in which she taught Japanese businessmen conversational English. After her M.A., she plans on pursuing her PhD in literature, and hopes to one day become a professor. She loves learning and teaching, and looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge with her students.	B.S. in English, San Jose State University
Henry Delu, Jr.	Biology, Math, Chemistry	Henry Delu, Jr. has always believed that every child can reach her or his dream with enough support and time. Ever since he was a young man, his parents have instilled in him that he can do anything that he puts his mind to. He was raised in Los Angeles and went to Hamilton High School. In high school, he took advantage of all the opportunities available to him. He took Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes, as well as classes at his local community college. It was through these classes and pro-actively seeking mentors that he decided to continue his studies in college. He decided to attend UC Berkeley. He loved his college experiences, which include doing molecular biology research, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology, being president of several health organizations, and mentoring high school students towards college. After Berkeley, he decided to pursue advanced study and went to Harvard. Currently, he is in the Bay Area doing research.	M.S. in Medical Science, Harvard University B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Henry Hwang	Math	Henry brings a strong passion for teaching math to TT Learning. His current role as a software engineer for several private and public companies has helped him realized the importance of "being good at math". Many software innovations (such as Google's search engine), among many other creations, demand extraordinary mathematic skills. For this reason, Henry continues to train himself and others in this subject area. Henry has helped various high school students to learn how to systematically understand mathematical concepts and successfully apply these concepts to solve test and/or homework problems. As a proud father of 3 children, teaching and training is an everyday thing for Henry.	M.S. in Civil Engineering, San Jose State University B.S. in Civil Engineering, UC Berkeley
Hilary Yamtich	Math, SAT Math	Hilary Yamtich has been teaching and tutoring since 1998 when she began teaching physics at a summer program for middle-schoolers in San Francisco. She majored in pure mathematics at UC Berkeley, which challenged her and helped her grow as a thinker and learner. Her passion is to connect with young peoples' innate curiousity, which she has been doing as a full-time high school math teacher at a charter school in Oakland for the past three years. She is also a committed practitioner of Nonviolent Communication and speaks fluent Spanish.	B.S. in Pure Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Htoi Lahpai	English	Htoi enjoys a process of teaching which is most effective and enjoyable for her young learners. She has several years of teaching experience prior to her tutoring career. She is well equipped in engaging her students to their subjects depending on the way they learn. Htoi knows every student has his/her own way of learning and explores these options through creative tutoring. She's been published through the philosophy department in Calstate Eastbay and knows the benefits of having a strong and clear voice in writing. Her goal for your child is to build a love for words and expressive writing/reading so that they will excel in English and beyond!	B.A. in Traditional Art, CSU Eastbay
Irene Chang	Biology	Irene recently graduated with a major in Psychobiology (which is the study of biological mechanisms underlying psychological disorders, not biology for psychotic people). At UCLA, Irene pursued both college and departmental honors by conducting extensive research in cardiology and clinical psychology. Through both lab experiences, she discovered that she enjoyed working with people immensely more than with mice. She also volunteered in a free clinic for the homeless population in West Hollywood. In her free time, Irene is erpetually in pursuit of new culinary delights (especially desserts). She also enjoys arts&crafts, reading, and traveling.	B.S. in Psychobiology, UC Los Angeles
Ishan Joshi	Math, History, Economics	Ishan grew up and went to high school in San Jose. He recently completed his doctorate work in at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY in Government and Political Economy, focusing on game theory and Chinese and Indian economic development. He has for three years at the college level and speaks multiple languages. His interests are in combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches to learning.	Doctorate in Government & Political Econoemy, Cornell University
Jack Gan	Computer Science	After graduating from Gunn High School, Jack attended UC Davis and got a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Engineering. He worked for Lawrance Berkeley National Laboratory as a research assistant and worked as a software developer at Tibco Software. After graduating from UC Davis, Jack worked for Lockheed Martin and got a Masters degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Information Technology and Software Development Management. Jack is also the IT Manager of ThinkTank Learning. He enjoys teaching people about computers and software programming. He believes everybody can be computer savvy if they had great teachers.	M.S. in Information Technology and Software Development Management, Carnegie Mellon University B.S. in Computer Science Engineering, UC Davis
Jack D. Williams	Math	Jack Williams has a B.S. in Engineering-Mathematics and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, both from UC Berkeley. Until recently, he was a graduate math student at San Francisco State University, minoring in computer science. While at SFSU, Mr. Williams taught several of the remedial algebra classes as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA). He also participated in the National Science Foundation program, Revializing Algegra, designed to improve methods for teaching high school algebra. While a graduate student at UC Berkeley, he also worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. While on active duty with the USAF he worked at a research lab involved with blast and shock simulation. After leaving the Air Force, he worked at Lockheed-Martin in the area of spacecraft thermal control. He has also worked at Lockheed's Palo Alto research facility on aerospace systems simulation. In addition to his teaching at SFSU, he has taught heat transfer at the University of New Mexico. He has experience tutoring math, statistics, computer programming, physics, and general science at grade levels from 7th through college senior. For fun, Jack like to cook, bike-ride, and help people with their Java and C++ programs on several computer bulletin boards.	M.S. in Mechanical Engineer, UC Berkeley B.S. in Engineering, UC Berkeley
Jackson Perdue	English, History	Jackson Perdue has been working with students in many venues for nearly 10 years. Throughout middle and high school he displayed a love for learning and language, scoring a 5 on the English AP Exam. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a History Major and Speech Communication Minor in 2002, Jackson worked with students for several years in a non-profit organization. During his time at the non-profit Jackson mentored, coached, challenged, and taught students from many backgrounds. His ability to connect with students relationally while effectively teaching and challenging them is part of what makes him a great tutor. Since 2003 he has been a substitute teacher, home teacher, and full-time classroom teacher in Fremont's public schools. Jackson genuinely cares about each student and wants to do all he can to help them reach their potential and exceed the expectations they have of themselves. He works hard to make sure he is serving his students well and is receptive to feedback on how to constantly improve. During his time as a teacher and tutor Jackson works hard to prepare his students for success in the classroom and beyond.	B.A. History, CSU, Hayward
James Tallman	AP History, Spanish	James graduated from UC Davis, with additional coursework at La Universitaria de San Agustin in Burgos, Spain. He earned a CA Teaching Credential in Social Science at CSU Sacramento. Following college he jumped right into teaching as an AP World and US History teacher in the East Side Union High School District. He is in his fourth year in the district in the same position and describes being both a high school teacher and football coach as providing the most inspiring moments any man could ever encounter.	B.A. in History, UC Davis B.A. in Spanish, UC Davis
Jamison Richard Meurer	English	Jamison Meurer has a bachelors degree in history and a California teaching credential in social science. His strong social science background gives him a lot of experience and skills with regard to reading and writing. He has experience teaching/tutoring students of all ages from six years old to adult aged; this experience has come over a period of twelve years when he first taught at the age of sixteen. Jamison enjoys teaching and is pursuing a career in the education field. His plan is to eventually get a Masters degree, followed by a Ph.D. He enjoys reading, writing, music, games and spending time with his family (wife, daughter and son).	B.A. History, SFSU Single Subject Teaching Credential. SFSU
Janet Anvick	Math, Physics	Janet graduated with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley. She worked in the high tech industry as a Manufacturing Development Engineer for 20 years before returning to school to pursue her passion for teaching. She received her single subject teaching credential in mathematics from San Jose State University and then taught 8th grade math/algebra for 3 years. She enjoys working with students one-on-one to help them understand the concepts, not just solve a specific problem. Her favorite activities are bicycling and hiking.	B.S. in Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley Single Subject Credential, Math CLAD
Janki Patel	Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math	Janki discovered her passion for teaching during high school while she was tutoring her fellow students for Calculus. During her undergraduate education at UC Davis, she was a trained Math and Physics tutor for the campus learning center. After graduating from UC Davis, Janki wanted to tutor the K-12 age group in the subject areas of Math and Science while also applying for medical school. Her goal for tutoring is to help other students accomplish their academic goals as well as motivate them to achieve further. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, music, traveling, tennis, and learning new languages.	B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis
Jason Augustine	English Writing, SAT Verbal	Ever since teaching private music lessons in high school, passing on knowledge has been one of Jason's personal missions. He tutored in various subjects as a student at Santa Clara University and has continued to pass on knowledge in his professional career by taking an active role in training new employees at Maxim Integrated Products, where he works as a Strategic Account Manager. In his spare time, he likes to trade stocks, kick-box, and travel the world. He looks forward to helping students build confidence and think critically so that they may reach their educational goals.	B.S. in Commerce, Santa Clara University
Jason Chen	Biology, Chemistry	Jason Chen is an enthusiastic recent Cal graduate with a passion for teaching. He has taught throughout his college career as an undergraduate student instructor for a general biology class and the lead facilitator of a fitness nutrition class. In addition, he developed programs, workshops, and presentations as a public health educator for one year at the U.C. Berkeley dormitory. He has performed research for two years at U.C. Berkeley and U.C.S.F. and has been published twice in "The Lancet" and "Annals of Internal Medicine." He also completed the U.C. Berkeley senior honors thesis program and is pursuing a degree in medicine.	B.A. with Honors in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Jason Leung	Math	Jason received his bachelor in science in electrical engineering at San Jose State University. Currently he is going for his MBA at the same school. He is an experienced tutor who has helped many students improve their grades. He is a patient and easy going person with a sense of humor but likes to challenge his students with critical thinking puzzles. Jason can make learning interesting with his knowledge of tv shows, movies, cartoons, comics, anime, manga, video games, sports, books and computers.	B.S. Electrical Engineer, SJSU
Jennifer Chou	Biology	During her undergraduate education, Jennifer participated in research in ophthalmology and worked with children in a pediatrician's office for over 3 years. Since graduation she has been employed in the pharmaceutical industry and returned for a second degree in Psychology. Jennifer is currently working toward a doctorate in clinical psychology.	B.S. in Biological Science, UC Irvine
Jerie Lum	English	Jerie's passion for educating students began long before she received her teaching credential in 1975. Her career spans over three decades, including motherhood, dental office management, and currently substitute teaching in the Silicon Valley. Combining a diverse range of life experiences and her people skills, Jerie has developed an energetic style of teaching that brings out the best in each individual. As a member of the enthusiastic ThinkTank Learning team, Jerie focuses on enhancing and promoting the talents of our fine students.	B.S. in Child Development, California State University, Hayward Standard Elementary Teaching Credential for grades K-8
Joanna Lee	Biology, English	During her undergraduate career at UC Berkeley, Joanna has conducted research in the departments of microbiology and bioengineering. Having written and published articles for national research journals, she has a firm grasp of scientific reasoning as well as advanced written composition. Joanna has successfully taught subjects ranging from the sciences to English. She is fluent in Taiwanese and possesses a good understanding of conversational Mandarin Chinese. Joanna will be attending the Ph.D. program in Biological Sciences at Stanford University in the fall of 2007.	Ph.D student in Biological Science, Stanford University B.S. in Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley
Joanne Edquilang	Biology, Chemistry, English	Joanne graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and an emphasis in Cell and Developmental Biology. Her tutoring career began by tutoring peers during high school at Archbishop Mitty. After graduating with honors, Joanne continued to tutor elementary school students in English and Math and university students in Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Writing. Joanne's love of Science has led her to humanitarian work such as volunteering on medical missions that provide free healthcare to impoverished provinces in the Philippines. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine.	B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
John Mullen	Chemistry	John has been a teacher for twenty years in Scotland and Botswana, and has worked in a wide variety of settings, mainly urban schools and including teaching kids with special needs and the gifted. He has tutored part time for a good part of his career. He has also worked as a youth leader. He believes in enabling the student to take charge of their own learning by enthusing them with the subject, and by using humor and encouragement to forge a happy learning and teaching relationship. Recognizing individual learners' needs and learning styles, and offering them firmness, consistency and respect, celebrating success, and regularly reviewing progress are among the strategies he has learned to employ during his varied career. He uses technology to good effect in the learning context; he is also a web designer and video editor.	B.S. Chemical Science, Univeristy of Edinburgh
Johnny Cheng	Math	Johnny was born in Shanghai China, and grew up in San Jose starting at the age of 7. He went to high school at Piedmont Hills in San Jose, and then attended U.C. Davis for college where he received his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. Johnny has had many jobs including illustrator, startup online store owner, and corporate project analyst. He is currently attending Santa Clara University for his Masters in Business degree. Johnny has scored in the 90th percentile for math sections of SAT I, SAT II, and GMAT. On his spare time, he enjoys tennis, ping pong, and drawing.	B.S. in Mathematics, UC Davis
Jonas Mari	Statistics, Math	Jonas Mari has a B.A.S. in Statistics & Economics from UC Davis where he worked as an editor and manager at The California Aggie, the UC Davis student newspaper. He aspires to be a high school math and stats teacher and is currently taking his teaching credential. Jonas has tutored all levels of mathematics but his expertise lies in statistics. He believes students can achieve anything. They just need to be able to interact with the material so that they too can understand it in their own terms. He loves music, cooking and writing, a definite change from all the statistics classes he has taken. Jonas is also an accomplished pianist and directs a few musical productions in the Bay Area.	B.A.S. in Statistics & Economics, UC Davis
Jorge Brabata	Spanish	Jorge has been living in San Jose California since March of 1997. Before coming to this country, he lived in Mexico City, and in Villahermosa, the capital of the Mexican state of Tabasco. Jorge has been a teacher, T.V. and radio producer, and political commentator on both sides of the border. He has also worked as a traslator from English to Spanish and vice versa for many years.
Joshua Cembellin	English, SAT English, Creative Writing, Literature	Joshua Cembellin has a B.A. in English, with a minor in Creative Writing. Four of his poems have been published by the CSUC literary magazine Watershed. During his time as an undergraduate student at CSUC, he worked part time in the English department, serving as a tutor in the University Writing Center. He also gained experience as a small-group instructor for remedial writing workshop classes. He enjoys literature, and wants to help young students gain a strong grasp for comprehensive reading. He is also interested in helping students strengthen their writing skills, while also allowing them to enjoy and feel comfortable in a classroom or one-on-one learning environment. He plans to continue his education, as he is currently enrolled in the M.A. English program at San Jose State University.	B.S. in English, minor in Creative Writing, California State University, Chico
Kai Man Jim	Math	I like to study math since I was in high school because it is the class room where I think all the smart people were gathering at. I also work for my math teacher as a T.A. and a math tutor after school; therefore, I have certain experience to work with high school students. To me, the way to learn is to enjoy and think, but not to push. Beside math, I like to work and fix computers, would like to challenge hardware and software problems like virus. My original born place was Hong Kong. I came to U.S. when I was 16 year old. Therefore, I am bilingual. I can speak both English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.	B.A. in Computer Science, UC Berkeley
Karen Huyser	Math, Physics	Karen comes to ThinkTank Learning with many years of teaching, tutoring, and mentoring experience upon which to draw. She has mentored undergraduate women engineers at Stanford, tutored college physics at Michigan, and served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate classes in astronomy and electrical engineering. Her doctoral work involved the creation of computer software to solve a complex statistical classification problem. She has worked for NASA, Hewlett Packard and Agilent, has many years of experience in academic research, and is currently pursuing a career in biostatistics. Karen is a tutor because she loves to to see the light of understanding turn on. She is patient and personally committed to the success of each of her students. Her other interests include singing, reading thrillers, watching movies, hiking, and observing and identifying native birds and plants.	Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Stanford University B.S. with Honors in Physics and Astronomy, University of Michigan
Karen Vanuska	English	Karen Vanuska graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania with a BA degree in Russian, International Relations, and English. After working for eight years as a Language Analyst for the Department of Defense, she returned to school and obtained an MFA in Creative Writing from Saint Mary’s College of CA. She has taught English and Writing and Composition to children in grades two through college freshman. She has a CA Teaching Credential for grades K-8 and she is a substitute teacher in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. In her spare time, she continues to work as a freelance writer, publishing short fiction, creative non-fiction, book reviews and articles on parenting. As both a teacher and a mother of three school-age children, Karen brings a keen awareness of the diverse ways in which children learn. She strives to help children gain confidence as they gain knowledge.	B.A. Russian, English & Internaltional Relations Bucknell University M.F.A. Creative Writing Saint Mary's College of CA
Ken Harvey	English	Ken holds a Degree in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from San Fransico State University. He has worked with students and executive clients in the US as well as overseas. He has helped many adults and young people to improve their English vocabulary and writing ability. He has held various marketing and communications positions in High Tech and Biotech companies in the Bay Area and has written and edited copy for advertisements, business plans, PR materials and other forms of professional communication. Ken is currently working on a Masters in Business Administration from the International School of Management in Paris. His hobbies are writing, performing/recording music, travel and international motorsports.	B.A. English with Creative Writing S.F. State University
Kris Teng	Chemistry	Kris Teng attended Lynbrook High School prior to enrolling at Cornell University, where he graduated with a degree in Genetics in 2004. After graduation, he worked on Oncology software in Madison, WI for a year-and-a-half before enrolling in a Management Associate program within a Singaporean multinational company in Shanghai, China. Kris will be attending law school in the fall of 2008. A strong academic focus and an interest in helping people learn has led Kris to both formally tutor and informally help classmates throughout his academic career. He also understands the value of advanced studies while in high school, having been able to transfer 27 academic credits from AP and prior college-level work to Cornell, which granted him considerable flexibility in selecting electives.	B.S. in Genetics, Cornell University
Kristen Jenson	English and Math	Kristen Jenson graduated from UCLA with a degree in Psychology, while also completing substantial classes in Accounting because of a personal interest in working with numbers. Having grown up in the Bay Area and attending Lynbrook High School, Kristen is well aware of the competitive atmosphere and challenging courses students face. She has experience in one-on-one tutoring to students of all ages and abilities as well as experience as a teacher to 30+ student classrooms. Her favorite math subjects are geometry and algebra, which are prominent on the SAT. It is her desire to help students gain a mastery of concepts and to incite self-confidence so students will set higher goals for themselves.	B.A. in Psychology, UC Los Angeles
Kristen Sato	English, SAT Verbal, Writing, Literature	During her studies at UC Riverside, Kristen mastered coursework covering a broad range of American and English literature, as well as courses in Creative Writing and Journalism. She has had some of her work published in Inland Empire Magazine. A Dean's List scholar, member of The English Majors Association and Editor of a campus newspaper, Kristen enjoys reading and writing and seeks to inspire this passion in others. She has tutoring experience with students of varying ages, starting off as a reading tutor for elementary students and later tutoring middle school and high school students in Writing, Honors, and AP English. Kristen plans to pursue a Master's Degree in Mass Communications and Journalism at San Jose State University. Her hobbies include cooking, writing poetry, photography, and travel.	B.A. in Literature, UC Riverside
Laura Burge	English	Laura Burge graduated with honors from Pitzer College with a B.A. in English and World Literature and a minor in Music. She tutored college students in English and composition. During that time, she gained a lot of experience working with both American and international students with widely varying levels of English skills. Before that, she tutored high school students in English and Math. She enjoys working with and helping students at all levels. Laura also enjoys reading and writing and plans to pursue creative writing in graduate school. In her spare time, Laura likes to sing, dance and speak Italian. She hopes to return to Italy someday, where she studied for a semester during college.	B.A. in English, Literature, Pitzer College
Liliana Barajas	Spanish	Liliana was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and moved to the US when she was five years old. She grew up in the Bay Area, but eventually moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she worked with elementary school children as a classroom aide. She was also a volunteer English teacher for day laborers, helping to develop lesson plans and organize field trips to several LA museums. After graduating, she moved back to Northern California and soon began teaching Spanish for both Spanish learners and Spanish speakers at Skyline high school in Oakland. She left Skyline to finish her MA in Education, but continues to teach ESL for adults part-time and tutor Spanish learners. In the future, she plans to pursue a second Master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics, and would like to begin an after-school program for Spanish-speaking elementary school students.	B.A. Chicana Studies & Art History, UCLA
Lori J. Costanzo	English	Lori J. Costanzo was born in Tucson, Arizona. She attended the University of Arizona where she majored in business administration, graduating in 1984. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1988. Lori has 12 years of private legal practice experience in civil litigation. She currently teaches Advanced Legal Analysis and Writing at Santa Clara University School of Law and is also a volunteer with SALA (Senior Advocate Legal Assistance) and volunteers as a Judge Pro Tem for Santa Clara County Superior Court. Lori enjoys working with students of all ages and backgrounds. Her strengths are helping students fine tune their critical thinking and writing skills, including public speaking while making learning fun and interactive. For the past 10 years she has also been active as a Leader in Girl Scouts on multiple levels.	B.S. Business Administration University of Arizona J.D. School of Law University of the Pacific, McGeorge
Long Ly	Math	Long is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a BS in Civil Engineering. He has taught and tutored in Math related subjects at both the college and K-12 level for over five years. He enjoys working with people and takes great satisfaction in seeing his students succeed in their course work and life.	B.S. Civil Engineering, U.C. Berkeley
Louie Liu	Math	Louie attended University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and has had plenty of math experience throughout his four and a half years under U of I's engineering program. He has personally tutored a number of Monta Vista High School students and having attended Monta Vista himself he has a great level of insight on the teachers and the curriculum. He has previously volunteered at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and is comfortable interacting with teenagers and young adults alike.	B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois
LuLu Chen	Math	Lulu Chen is a UC Berkeley graduate with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She plans on going back to school for M.S. in Engineering and Project Management this coming fall at UC Berkeley. She has always loved to work with kids ever since she was very young. However, she started taking tutoring very seriously in college, helping students and classmates in Chemistry, Math and Physics. She likes bike riding, hiking, cooking, watching movies, and spending times with her family.	B. S. in Chemical Engineering, U.C. Berkeley
Lynne Thomas	Math and Physics	Dr. Lynne Thomas earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Applied and Engineering Physics from the Lab of Plasma Studies at Cornell University. She then earned a New York State Teaching Certification in Physics and General Science. After moving back to California, she converted her New York Teaching Credential into a CA Single Subject Credential. Lynne has 16 years of classroom experience teaching Mathematics and Science to a range of students at Notre Dame High School, the Tech Museum of Innovation, The Harker School, Wheatley School on Long Island, Long Island University's School for Gifted Youth, and SUNY at Stony Brook. She has tutored students one-on-one in math, chemistry and physics since she attended Newport Harbor High School. She currently works as an adjunct physics instructor and math and science tutor. She has long been active in programs promoting greater interest in math and science to junior high and high school students, working with students from an East LA magnet school while attending Caltech, volunteering at various Science Museums, and hosting groups through Expanding Your Horizons while attending graduate school. In her spare time she loves to read, swim, snorkel and scuba, practice Yoga regularly and visit with family and friends.	Ph. D. in Applied & Engineering Physics, minor Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, M. S. in Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University B. S. in Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology
Maggie Chang	Chemistry	Maggie Chang graduated from the UC Davis with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She was quite involved with extracurricular activities when she was in college. She’s a musician, the vice president of the MCAT club, and an active member in many other clubs. She has started tutoring students since high school and enjoyed teaching them. During her free time, she likes reading, doing yoga, and playing flute.	B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis
Marietta Jason	English	Marietta Jason attended the University of Buffalo where she majored in speech pathology and education. She attended the University of Chicago, after receiving a full scholarship grant, and earned a master’s degree in social sciences. She is an experienced teacher and tutor in all elementary subjects. With an abiding desire to escape harsh winters and searing summers Marietta relocated to San Francisco where she lives with her husband and 2 sons.	B.A. Social Science, University of Buffalo M.A. Social Science, University of Chicago
Mark Adams	English	Mark earned his undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science – Business Management) from San Jose State University and his post-graduate degree (Juris Doctor - Law) from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. For thirty years, he practiced law in Santa Clara County, during which time he engaged in client counseling, education and training across a broad spectrum of topics and issues. He has also mentored and coached young adults, believing that by providing them with constant encouragement and inspiration, he will foster in them a level of self confidence that will serve them well throughout their educational or athletic experiences and beyond. Mark is a proactive communicator and advocates the proper understanding and effective use of the English language, both in oral and written form. Mark is a prolific writer, having completed seven novel-length works of fiction, several short stories, numerous children’s stories and poetic works. Currently, he is working on three new novels simultaneously. Mark is also a student of history and he is as passionate about sharing with young people his enthusiasm for this subject as he is English.	B.S -Business Management San Jose State University Juris Doctor Law, University of Pacific
Mark Brailey	English, History	Mr. Brailey received his MA in History and BA in History/English, both with honors, from Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. He taught ESL in Taiwan for one year (1997-98), and lived in Bellingham, Washington for five years where he garnered a TESOL Certificate from Western Washington University (2002). His command of written English is particularly strong, owing to several decades of intensive study and practice. His general fields of historical expertise are U.S., European and Asian History, with a specialization in World War II. He wrote an outstanding MA Thesis entitled, "The War Against Japan in the Chicago Press, 1944-45: An Historical Interpretation." For the past three years, he has devoted himself to an eclectic combination of sundry endeavors: teaching and tutoring in two well-established Fremont Asian Learning Centers, assisting in the creation of retail test-prep software (TOEFL, SAT, Mainland China's National Entrance Examination, etc.), and is presently completing an MA in Secondary Education at the University of Phoenix.	M.A. in History, B.A. in History and English, Roosevelt University
Mark Carpenter	English	Mark Carpenter has been teaching since 2002, when he earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Southern California. He teaches writing, reading, and English grammar to students ranging from preschool to the university level. He recently completed his Master of Arts in English and a certificate in teaching English Composition from San Francisco State University. In his free time, he writes short stories and volunteers at summer camps for children with diabetes.	B.A. in English, University of Southern California
May Mar	Biology	May graduated from University of California Davis, where she majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Her experiences in tutoring ranges from tutoring elementary students to college students, mainly in a variety of biology courses (ie. Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Genetics and Gene Expression, Introduction to Evolutionary Biology, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior laboratory). Although she majored in Biology, May tutored some General and Organic Chemistry as well. During her time at UCD, she became extremely involved in community service work affiliated with Paul Hom Asian Clinic. At this clinic, May worked with the underprivileged Asian Americans of the Greater Sacramento area to provide free health care for those that are uninsured. Not only was she a co-director, but May began as a Chinese interpreter in mainly Toishanese and Cantonese, with some Mandarin. In her spare time, she enjoys watching the latest movies, eating, spending time with her family, and keeping up with the local news. Furthermore, May's energetic personality combined with intriguing biology examples help engage the students to apply the basic concepts of biology.	B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, UC Davis
Megan Hsi	Biology	As an undergraduate at UCD, Megan has completed formal tutor training and has extensive experience tutoring students in math, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and biology. Upon completion of her undergraduate honors thesis, Megan received the Citation Award for Excellence in Academics and Research. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.	B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis
Melissa Lee	English	Melissa earned her B.A. in English, with Honors, from Le Moyne College, a small but growing institution in central New York State. She earned her M.A. in English from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the last decade, Melissa has tutored and taught English to native and non-native English speakers on both the high school and university levels. While Melissa's studies have focused on world literatures, her specialty (and infatuation) is with vocabulary. Her other interests include but are by no means limited to culinary arts, camping, biking, hiking, and laughing uproariously whenever possible - all while playing Scrabble.	B.A. in English, with Honors, Le Moyne College M.A. in English, Marquette University
Meng-Yang Chiang	Math, SAT Math	Starting from when he was just 14 years old, Meng has taught and tutored students and his peers. Having taught in both classroom and 1-on-1 settings, Meng has taught over 150 students in various settings and age groups. His students have been highly satisfied with his instruction as many have stuck with him all throughout high school and some have even continued into college. Meng works full-time as a software engineer in Palo Alto but teaching is his passion and he enjoys spending his spare time tutoring and teaching students at TTLearning.	B.S. in Statistics and Minor in Math, Carnegie Mellon University
Michael Comarota	Physics, Math	Born in the SF Bay Area, Mike attended UC Davis as a student athlete and earned a BA in Political Science and a Minor in Computer Science in 2004. Since then Mike has explored several fields of interest and is currently preparing to enter a structrual engineering graduate program. He is an experienced 1-to-1 and 3-to-1 tutor.	B.A. in Political Science, UC Davis
Michelle Chuor	English, Writing, SAT English	Michelle graduated from UC Berkeley and has tutored a broad spectrum of students as an undergraduate for several college campuses. Her experience reaches from students speaking English as a second language to fellow English majors aiming to refine their literary essays and composition styles. She has also tutored privately with K-12 students to exercise grammar and diction as well as with recent immigrant adults to have better command of conversational English. In addition to tutoring, Michelle has over six years of experience in publishing where she has worked as an editor, copyeditor and proofreader for several local and national magazines and newspapers. In her free time, she enjoys documentary writing, traveling, music, independent films, trying new restaurants, tennis and international motorsports.	B.A. in English, UC Berkeley
Michelle Solone	Biology	Michelle graduated with honors from UC Davis in 2006 with a BS in Exercise Biology, emphasizing in Physiology. Since graduating she has professionally tutored many students in the sciences and math. In college she was an academic peer advisor and the captain of the cross country and track and field teams. She is fluent in Spanish and enjoys travelling, running marathons, and helping students to succeed in school. She is currently substitute teaching and tutoring in the South Bay before beginning medical school at UC Irvine in Fall 2008.	B.S. in Exercise Biology, UC Davis
Miko Nakamura	Japanese Language and Literature	Miko was born and raised in Japan but has been living in the United States for the past 25+ years. She has many years of combined work experience in cross-cultural business administration where one of her job functions that she really enjoyed was to teach Japanese to busin