Our Team!
Our tutors are selected for their practical, hands-on knowledge and subject expertise. They use this knowledge to help students understand the subject's importance and application, a valuable skill for subject retention. Get to know your tutor below!
Science, Math and Engineering Tutors
Joanne S.
Joanne is currently pursuing a B.S. degree in Electrical 
Engineering at UC San Diego. Over the years, she has developed a great love for mathematics and physics and an even greater love of tutoring them. She is very patient with her students and is very determined to thoroughly answer any questions or problems presented. As a sophomore, she has a cumulative GPA of 3.92; her experiences include tutoring a variety of high school and college students in math and physics, ranging from Algebra to Vector Calculus. She's advanced for her age due to skipping a grade and understands the competitive environment in high schools and colleges. Aside from tutoring, she enjoys snowboarding and reading. She hopes to enter the field of machine intelligence at UC San Diego.
Valentin V.
Originally from Romania, Valentin has been involved with the Math Olympiad since middle school. He ultimately won the Bronze Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2002, and has since coached numerous successful Olympiad students. Valentin also wrote the widely used Romanian text, "The Math Olympiad, from Challenge to Experience." Valentin holds a Master's in Mathematics from the University of Bucharest. Since 2004, he has worked as an instructor of online classes for gifted math students. In his free time he enjoys basketball, soccer and the beach.
Josh M.
Josh Marxen is a current student at UCSD in the Computer Science class of '13. He passed the AP Calculus BC test with a 5, allowing him to take the Honors Math 31 Sequence at UCSD, which he passed with an A- average. He also took the 5 on AP Physics and the 780 on the SAT Physics subject test. Josh works with both high school students and undergraduates in physics and math. He tutors college calculus (multivariable and vector), college physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism), and linear algebra. In addition, Josh works with C and Java, and can help teach those programming languages. His hobbies include tennis, learning piano, reading and writing.
Katie G.
Katie is currently pursing a B.S. in Mathematics at UC San Diego. Katie passed her AP Calculus BC exam with a 5 and scored 760 on the SAT Math Subject exam. She has experience privately tutoring middle and high school students, helping them not only to pass, but also to excel in their classes. By working with a variety of students in the past, Katie is able to motivate and encourage her students in their academic endeavors. She is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and plans to attend graduate school after completing her B.S.
Angelina A.
Angelina is currently working on her Bioengineering PhD at UCSD. She graduated from UCSD in 2008 with a B.S. in Bioengineering with honors and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In the past, she has been a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry for inorganic and organic chemistry courses. She has experience working with different types of students in both group and individual settings. Her ratings from these classes are 3.7/4 in both delivery and teaching effectiveness. On the side, Angelina has researched abroad at Monash University in Australia and University of Edinburgh in Scotland. On the side, she loves to travel!
Gurleen B.
Gurleen is a completing her degree in Mechanical Engineering and Physics at UC San Diego. She has helped middle school, high school, and college students in math, physics, mechanical engineering, and statistics. While working in a tutoring center for several years, she learned how to help students achieve their academic goals through different teaching techniques. Gurleen is available to tutor on or near the UCSD campus. In her free time, she likes to read, play basketball, and build things.
Lily W.
Lily graduated in May 2011 with BA in Molecular & Cell Biology and a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Receiving a 5 on the AP Biology exam, as well as obtaining A’s in lower division physics, chemistry, biology, and upper division physiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry from UC Berkeley, she has mastered the topics and also how to effectively study for them. Wanting to help others towards academic success, she has prior experience in tutoring honors and AP biology, as well as college-level general biology. She was also hired as a general (inorganic) and organic chemistry tutor for the Academic Services Center at UC Berkeley. Moving back home to San Diego following graduation, she will focus on tutoring local students during the 2011-2012 school year, and hopes to attend medical school in Fall 2012.
Emily E.
Emily's love for math and chemistry led her to study Chemical Engineering at UCSD with the class of '11, and is currently pursuing an engineering M.S. at UCSD. With an interest in business, she is also minoring in Management Science. Her current cumulative overall GPA is 3.75 with a 4.0 in math and a 3.85 in science, which has earned her the Revelle Provost's Honors each quarter at UCSD. She graduated magna cum laude from high school and scored a 5 on her AP calculus, AP statistics, and AP chemistry exam. In her free time, Emily plays sports, cooks, travels, and enjoys visiting her hometown in Texas.
Dan B.
Dan's diverse academic training reflects his broad interest in science. He received his BS in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1999 where as an undergraduate he worked on a range of research projects encompassing anthropology and conservation biology. In 2007, Dan earned a PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His dissertation research examined endocytosis and trafficking of cell surface receptors in mammalian cells. At Stony Brook, Dan has taught laboratory courses in biochemistry and cell biology. He has mentored undergraduate researchers and trained students in laboratory techniques. His expansive training has led to expertise in many subjects including anthropology, biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, genetics, and statistics.
Emily B.
Emily just completed her M.A. in psychology with a concentration in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience at SDSU. She completed her B.A. in psychology at Willamette University in Oregon, where she graduated magna cum laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. As a graduate student, Emily worked as a teaching assistant in several undergraduate psychology courses and assisted students with introductory and advanced statistics for social sciences. She also has experience tutoring general math and writing skills to students in elementary and middle school and enjoys mentoring students of all ages. In her free time, she loves to run, hike, paint, and work on constructing a winning college basketball bracket.
Michelle T.
Michelle earned a B.S in Cognitive Science with specialization in Neuroscience from UC San Diego in 2011. She worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Cognitive Science for Neuroanatomy and Physiology, as well as the Department of Biology, teaching Genetics. Her diverse academic experiences has led her to study everything from chemistry, computer programming, and even studying history abroad in France. She was also president of Outreach Thru Art at UCSD, teaching young children how to do arts and crafts at a local library every week. Michelle hopes to attend medical school in the near future.
English, Writing, and Social Science Tutors
Lana Q.
Lana is a UCSD graduate, 2011, with a Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in English Literature. She's now completing her TESOL/TEFL/TESL certificate, training to teach English as a second language. 
Lana previously tutored at the English Writing Center (ERC) for Grossmont College. She tutors various levels of English, including ESL, grammar, sentence structure, reading skills, as well as effective essay writing (narrative, descriptive, and argumentative). She's developed effective lesson plan methods, classroom management techniques, and teaching strategies. Lana understands working with people of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and is trilingual, speaking Kurdish, Arabic, and English. She offers tutoring on and around the UCSD campus.
Christina V.
Christina focuses on helping college and graduate school applicants write personal statements that convey 
their uniqueness qualities and core strengths. Many applicants find it difficult to write about themselves and produce powerful, concise, and polished application essays. Christina helps through the whole process, starting with brainstorming and ending with a final check for grammar, flow, and effectiveness. Her legal experience as a paralegal has given her a tremendous foundation for effective written communication. She worked with a non-profit legal clinic representing employment and housing issues, and since worked with the general counsel and employment lawyer of NUMMI, California's largest manufacturing plant. Past experiences include serving as Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. Christina graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2006 with a BA in International Political Economy.
Foreign Language Tutors
Check back soon for an update on our new language tutors!
