Background
In earning my chemistry degree, I completed a full year of each general chemistry, honors organic chemistry, biochemistry, and specialized chemistry courses in addition to several classes focused on science education practices. I built on my experience as a chemist and educator by earning a graduate degree in education.
As a chemistry teaching assistant, I attended countless lectures, taught weekly discussion sections, wrote and graded quizzes and exams, and worked closely with the professors, so I know exactly what is expected from their students.
Having tutored chemistry courses for over nine years now, I have a lot of insight into what students struggle with and consistently receive positive feedback regarding my tutoring approach and subject matter expertise. I also bring additional expertise with my decade+ of work experiences in biomedical research and graduate admissions - both of which are often relevant to the students I work with.
Education
B.S. Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of California San Diego (UCSD)
M.S. Education
University of Pennsylvania
Teaching Experience
Chemistry Tutor
- Work one on one with private tutoring clients
Teaching Assistant - UCSD
- Designed and taught weekly lesson plans for discussion section
- Wrote, proctored, and graded quizzes and examsChemistry Study Group Leader - UCSD
- Created a positive learning environment by encouraging student collaboration
Why I'm Passionate about Chemistry Tutoring
The first time I ever enrolled in a college chemistry class, I struggled my way through it for a few weeks before completely giving up and dropping the class; I was terrified of chemistry. It was a required course so I knew that I couldn't avoid it forever, but the thought of trying again gave me so much anxiety. A year later, I again enrolled in chemistry but this time with an amazing professor that made chemistry easy to understand and even... exciting! I absolutely fell in love with it, so much so that I became a biochemistry major and began working as a teaching assistant and through this found my passion for teaching.
Because I struggled with chemistry initially, I can better understand why it can be confusing, intimidating, or anxiety-inducing, and I believe that this experience is what helps me be an empathetic and understanding tutor.
As a tutor, I hope to inspire my students in the same way that professor inspired me. My priority is to help you in a way that adapts to your specific needs. Every student that I have worked with has been different and I adjust our lesson plans accordingly to focus where it's needed, whether that's working through the math for general chemistry, focusing on the concepts underlying complicated equations or mechanisms, productive study habits, test taking strategies, or some combination of all of the above.