Biography

I’ve spent my entire life in the Bay Area, and was born and raised in San Jose. I began my journey with AJ Tutoring as a student, taking group SAT prep courses. Those courses greatly benefited my learning and helped me achieve a score high enough to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where I graduated with a degree in biology. Now back in the Bay, I work to further AJ Tutoring’s mission of individualized learning as an educator.

When I thought about the different careers I wanted to pursue, becoming an educator was initially far from my top choice. However, that all changed when my friend convinced me to try being an undergraduate learning assistant at UCLA. Unexpectedly, I grew to enjoy the process of teaching, where I worked with students both individually and in small groups. Helping students learn course material and seeing their confidence increase in not just the specific class, but in their overall ability to learn, inspired me to explore a career in education.

The teaching techniques I gained from tutoring standardized college courses easily transitioned into my work teaching students techniques for standardized college entrance exams. Taking the SAT might feel daunting, but I believe that any student can succeed with the proper support. As such, I seek to create a learning environment where students are eager to actively engage and aren’t afraid to make and learn from mistakes. By taking and individual approach with each student, they will feel empowered and adopt a sense of self-confidence that can extend beyond just the SAT.

Outside of tutoring, I enjoy exercising, playing the piano, and baking. I make some pretty good apple pie cookies!