Experience Summary
I started tutoring in high school, where I spent my summers volunteering as a teaching assistant at Breakthrough Summer School (a program I also attended as a student when I was entering 5th and 6th grade) in classes that ranged from Math to Biology. As an undergraduate, I further gained teaching experience through a UCSD grant for tutoring 6th-8th grade Math at middle schools (identified with a high percentage of military families) in the San Diego Unified School District. Furthermore, in volunteering with the International Rescue Committee, I had the opportunity to work with quite diverse populations in San Diego through assisting (high school age) refugees from all over the world with ESL coursework. During the fourth year of undergrad, I interned as a teaching assistant for two lower-division general education courses (World History to 1500 C.E. and American History to Reconstruction) at San Diego State University. Most recently, I worked as a graduate teaching associate (at OSU) for two lower-division general education courses (Social and Economic Geography and World Regional Geography) and one lower-division major specific course (Our Global Environment). One of the general education courses was also an online course, which provided me with experience working within a solely digital medium as well.
In terms of my writing background, I not only performed proficiently in my undergraduate writing courses, as well as passed the California Writing Proficiency Exam with no additionally mandated courses, my academic focus in the social sciences has critically depended on writing skills. Moreover, the past two years of graduate school has consisted of not only empirical research, but most crucially, conveying my findings in clear, coherent, and concise writing. My expertise in Math can be attested to by scoring a 5 on the AP statistics test in high school, receiving a 730 on the Math section of my SAT’s, and proficiently performing as well as (informally) tutoring peers in Calculus courses in college. Lastly, I also excelled (and assisted classmates) in college level science courses that spanned from Biology, to Chemistry, to Environmental Engineering.
Teaching Style
As a student, working one on one with mentors played an undeniably significant role in my educational achievements. Now, from the position of having acquired enough skills to instruct and pass on what I've learned to others, my motivation to tutor stems not only from the particular need for tutors, given the increasing sizes of classes and burdens teachers are under, but also the fulfillment that comes from contributing to a process that has benefited me personally. Moreover, my excitement for tutoring also emerges from the advantages the one-on-one context offers for developing the critical thinking skills and tools necessary for both contributing to and challenging what one takes to be reality, common sense, truth, and knowledge.
My Hobbies
When I was younger I was committed toward the dreams of becoming a competitive figure skater, which absorbed the majority of my extracurricular time. Now, my hobbies and pastime predominantly consist of the non-competitive activities of hiking, yoga, and cooking/baking.