Biography

I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and attended both private and public schools in the area, giving me firsthand experience of the rigorous school system. I gravitated to teaching from a young age, from mentoring in math and tech clubs in middle school, to tutoring various subjects, including math, computer science, and English, throughout high school and part of college. I then continued that work, making it into a career later on.

I took classes in teaching computation and computational thinking in college, and jumped at the opportunity to apply them by volunteering for a program to develop and teach lessons about the fundamentals of computer science at local elementary and middle schools. I went on to graduate from University of California, San Diego, with a BS in Computer Science.

I always enjoyed math, and even competed in math competitions in middle school. My most memorable math teachers emphasized the understanding of the logic behind the math, rather than just memorizing functions, which later served me well in my studies in computer science when applying concepts and algorithms to coding.

Coming from a family of teachers, working at AJ tutoring just made sense to me.  Everyone in my family spent at least part of their career as a teacher or tutor, and I wanted to do that as well. Just like my favorite teachers,  I prioritize the true understanding of concepts over learning by rote. In addition, through my experience tutoring, I have learned to tailor teaching styles to each student, and AJ’s one-on-one approach allows me to individualize tutoring based on my student’s strengths and weaknesses. I love building relationships with students and helping them find the joy in math.

Outside of tutoring, I enjoy lifting weights, dancing (mainly salsa and bachata), reading (mostly thrillers), crocheting, and cooking.