Biography

My career in education began as a college instructor and writing tutor at the University of Nevada during my masters program. Later, when I pursued my PhD in Atlanta, I continued tutoring because I felt most rewarding work was always the one-on-one interaction with students. Eventually, in my post-doctoral life, I shifted over to working in tutoring centers full time, first as a professional tutor, and later as an administrator. I place the highest value on tutoring as a way of teaching. Each student is able to have the tutor’s full attention and benefit from pedagogy that is tailor made to fit their needs.

While my educational journey took me to Las Vegas and Atlanta, my home is here in California. I’m a native of the Imperial Valley in SoCal, so moving to the Bay Area back in 2018 was like a homecoming for me. Likewise, my first job was tutoring math when I was a high school student, so when I began working at AJ Tutoring, it was like another homecoming to my earliest teaching experiences.

My PhD is in English and creative writing. While I once had dreams of being a famous novelist, my most cherished work is the support I’ve provided through tutoring to the innumerable students I’ve worked with over the years. Tutoring, specifically writing tutoring, is something I’ve always done, from graduate student to post-doctorate and beyond, and the longer I’ve done it, the more meaningful it has been to me. My education has enriched my life far more than I could ever have dreamed, and I hope to continue paying it forward to all the students I meet in the years to come.

In addition to my years of experience as a writing tutor I have added many other subjects to my roster. I’ve always enjoyed the challenges that math poses, like riddles or puzzles to solve. The ability of the human mind to comprehend and apply logic and critical thinking to any problem and solve it never ceases to astound me. It’s always gratifying to see someone put the solution together for the first time on their own after practice and hard work.

In my own educational experience, I’ve benefited most from having someone to discuss my ideas and challenges with, to ask questions and receive encouragement. This is what I strive to provide in all of my tutoring, to be the person to discuss what you know and what you want to learn. Each of us has the capability to succeed in education, but none of us has to go it alone.

If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m a big old nerd. When I am not tutoring, I spend my time reading (I’m an omnivorous reader and enjoy any subject or genre), watching movies (mostly sci-fi and horror), playing games, and generally just engaging my brain in fun. When it comes to games I enjoy all kinds: board games, video games, tabletop games, card games, etc. However, my favorite games include chess, cribbage, and Minecraft.