Biography

I grew up in rural southern Oregon, where cows occasionally wandered through our school common area. My passions growing up included math, music, and trivia, and I lead my team to the State Championship my senior year. I made my way down to the Bay Area for college to attend Stanford University, where I majored in linguistics and studied Japanese.

After graduation, I put my Japanese language skills to use and moved to Japan to teach English for seven years. While I was there, I had the opportunity to teach an incredible variety of classes. I taught toddlers who could barely speak Japanese to elderly people who shared some of the amazing experiences of their lives with me. I taught individual students in 1-on-1 tutoring environments, and I taught classes of 40 rambunctious high schoolers. 

After coming back to the United States, I worked for a Japanese TV company before receiving my teaching credential. Though I spent the next three years teaching in elementary and middle schools, I found I missed the experience of teaching and engaging with students on an individual basis, and I decided to turn my teaching skills toward 1-on-1 tutoring.

At AJ Tutoring, I specialize in coaching students through their test preparations for the SAT and ACT. I’ve found it especially rewarding to help students develop their understanding of these formidable tests and hone their test taking strategies so that they can approach the exams with confidence. 

I love working with students and tailoring my explanations to find the methods that resonate with them, clarify their points of confusion, and help them grasp the concepts they’re studying. I honed my skill with explanations during my time tutoring in a second language, and quickly learned to be resourceful and flexible. This ability helps me adapt to each of my students and shape the lesson to fit their learning styles and needs.

Outside of work, my number one passion is Magic: The Gathering,and I have competed at professional tournaments and the Japanese national championships. I also love to play basketball and passionately root for Stanford and other Bay Area sports teams.