Our Instructors
Eva, Founder & Director
Eva earned her B.A. at Harvard University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. A Bay Area native, Eva attended Livermore High, where she was a National Merit Scholar, valedictorian, and recipient of various awards in math, science, technology, foreign language, and composition. She earned perfect scores on the SAT and four SAT Subject tests.
Over the past decade, Eva has tutored and mentored students through a variety of professional and volunteer roles. With an interest in college admissions, Eva has also taught test prep since the late '90s, worked as a Harvard Admissions aide and interviewer, and served as an essay consultant for two admissions agencies. She holds a certificate in College Admissions Advising from UC Berkeley.
Anne, Director of Client Services
Anne graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, earning her BSE in Civil Engineering. She was nominated to three of the top national honor societies, Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society), Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society) and Phi Beta Kappa for her undergraduate work. Since then Anne has enjoyed working with the Princeton Alumni Association as an admissions interviewer. Before heading off to college, she graduated high school as a valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar and a recipient of numerous awards.
Anne worked for a non-profit before returning to the world of academia by becoming the Director of Client Services for PrepPoint and is now serving as the liaison between PrepPoint's tutors and clients. Anne lives with her husband and two boys, one of whom has special needs. She and her family are very involved in their community and with their church. She and her husband began a special needs soccer program in their town and have thoroughly enjoyed providing such opportunities to other special needs families.
Lead Tutors
Amara
Amara is a recent graduate from Stanford University and former NCAA Div. I athlete. She earned her B.A. in Human Biology, an interdisciplinary major, while balancing pre-medical commitments and a 30 hour/week training regimen for track. She loves to tutor and has been a peer tutor, a private tutor to Peninsula families, and a mentor through programs like Upward Bound and EPATT. Amara is a National Merit scholar who often works with students of varying academic capabilities including a few that have successfully managed learning disabilities. Amara has an eclectic music library, loves photography and fashion, and watches SportsCenter.
Carl
Carl is a graduate student at San Jose State University, where he received his M.S. in Chemical Engineering, with a semiconductor and polymer processing emphasis. While attending SJSU conducted research projects in nanotechnology at NASA. Carl holds a B.S. in Chemistry from U.C. Santa Barbara. As an undergraduate he has done extensive research with hydrogen fuel cells and inorganic metal complexes. Because science and mathematics are his forte, he puts careful attention and effort towards the student's complete understanding of the material. Whenever time permits, Carl likes to stay fit through sports and strenuous exercise. Upon completion of his M.S. degree, Carl is looking forward to studying patent law.
Ellen
Ellen is an experienced teacher who holds a CA multiple subject teaching credential and a single subject teaching credential in Science. She has a BA, graduating magna cum laude, in Biology and Chemistry from Hunter College, and a BS, also graduating magna cum laude, in Computer Science from City University of New York, and an MA, graduating summa cum laude, in Interdisciplinary Education from Santa Clara University. Over the last ten years she has taught at the fifth, sixth, eighth grade and associate degree college levels, and enjoys making learning meaningful for each student. She was a software engineer for IBM for eight years prior to her career as an educator. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, writing, singing, gardening and baking.
Joy
Joy earned a dual degree in May 2005 from U.C. Berkeley in Legal Studies and Political Science. Prior to attending UC Berkeley, she graduated valedictorian from a private college preparatory academy and received numerous awards in English, math, science, and composition as well as passed 5 AP courses solely through self-study. She has also prepared many ESL and native students for the SATs. She is extremely passionate about working with others to help them increase their opportunities in life. She loves music, played and taught piano, played varsity volleyball, and loves traveling to foreign countries. She is extremely energetic and enthusiastic, and loves to motivate others!
Kate
Kate is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she received a BA in music, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she obtained her Masters in Opera Performance. Kate is a fellow of the American Scandinavian Foundation and The UC Berkeley Hertz Traveling Fellowship, and she earned the opportunity to study in Finland for a year on those grants. She was a National Merit Finalist, and graduated from Granada High School where she studied AP German, History, English, and Biology. While she was an SAT tutor and teacher for a national test prep corporation, Kate supported numerous students preparing to take exams. Kate loves the outdoors and the arts, and has treasured the opportunities for travel and performance that her professional singing career has afforded.
Leila
Leila has her BA from UC Berkeley in Political Economy, her Juris Doctor, as well as an LL.M. in French & European Law from the Sorbonne. She has been a tutor for over six years and can help with a wide variety of subjects, ranging from Algebra to providing SAT help. Since Leila has lived in Paris for the past year, she is also fluent in French and loves teaching the language.
Melissa
Melissa graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Irvine, where she majored in Computer Science and minored in Education. After graduation Melissa became a member of Teach for America, an organization dedicated to eliminating the achievement gap that exists for students who attend inner-city and rural schools. She currently teaches high school math. Melissa has tutored students of all ages, ranging from elementary school to college-aged. Melissa loves to see students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for math as they learn how to apply concepts to the real world.
Associate Tutors
Aydin
Aydin is a graduate of Miramonte High School and is now at California State University East Bay earning his BA in Biology with a Physiology option. Aydin is on the university's honor roll and is tutoring students through the EXCEL and the Student Center for Academic Achievement programs. Specializing in mathematics, Aydin has tutored a variety of students from a number of diverse backgrounds, ages, and learning styles. Aydin's passion is to provide the perspective that mathematics is an inviting, fun, and easy experience. Aydin hopes that his optimistic personal skills with students will help him with patient interactions when he fulfills his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Becky
Becky is an undergraduate at Cal State East Bay pursuing a bachelor's degree in Multimedia Art. Prior to attending Cal State, Becky attended BYU for one year and transferred to Las Positas College, qualifying for the Las Positas College Vice Presidents' Honors List in 2007. Becky graduated from Dublin High School in 2006 with a GPA of 4.25. While in high school, Becky took many honors classes as well as AP classes, passing her AP exams. Becky loves helping others succeed in their learning, and is currently enjoying giving flute lessons to adorable fourth graders.
Caroline
Caroline graduated with Distinction from UC Berkeley in 2008, earning a BA in Psychology. Prior to attending UC Berkeley, Caroline was a valedictorian of her graduating class at Dublin High School. Throughout her time there she received a number of awards, including AP Scholar with Distinction, AP Scholar with Honors, Rotary Club Student of the Month, and Sandia National Laboratories Outstanding Achievement in Science and Mathematics Award. She also provided both group and private tutoring services for middle school and high school students, and swam on her high school's varsity swim team. Though she no longer swims competitively, Caroline still enjoys swimming regularly as well as travelling, reading, and cooking.
Cassie
Cassie is currently an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, double majoring in Mass Communications and Political Economy of Industrial Societies. She graduated high school at the top of her class, with distinctions such as National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction. She scored above the 98th percentile on her SAT, and scored above the 95th percentile on all of her SAT II subject tests, including U.S. History, Biology, and Math IIC. She also excelled at the ACT, scoring 35 out of 36 and achieving a perfect score in both the Math and Science categories. Cassie has also worked as a Teacher's Assistant, in which she tutored high school students at all levels of math. Cassie likes to fantasize about Cal Football winning the PAC-10 and making it to the Rose Bowl.
Danielle
Danielle is a junior at UC Berkeley, where she is majoring in Bioengineering. She is a recipient of the Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship that is awarded to the top incoming students at Berkeley, and she is currently maintaining a 3.429 GPA. She was a valedictorian of Livermore High School, where she took and excelled in many challenging Honors and AP classes. Her SAT scores were in the top 98th percentile, and she looks forward to helping other students do well as she knows how important the SAT tests are for college applications. She has some previous tutoring experience from high school, which she found very rewarding. Danielle is a cheerful and enthusiastic person who loves reading, dance, yoga, and ice cream, and she is very excited to meet new students!
Denise
Denise has more than five years of classroom teaching experience in California, specializing in Biological Sciences. In 2002, she earned a B.A. in Biology Education from Hastings College in Nebraska. She served as a member of the Army National Guard for 6 years, where she was a Distinguished Honor Graduate in her Advanced Individual Training class. She deployed to the Middle East from 2003-2004, and began teaching high school science in the Bay Area upon her return. In addition to her focus in Biology, Denise has also been an active participant in the Reading Apprenticeship program, which utilizes specific strategies to help students achieve reading comprehension in all academic areas. In her spare time, Denise enjoys playing with her son, camping, cooking, dancing and singing karaoke.
Edward
Edward graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in integrative biology. He graduated in the top 10% of his class at Oxford Academy High School where he also played varsity basketball and tennis. In high school and in college Edward has tutored middle school and high school students privately and through programs like OASIS. In his free time he loves to play basketball, tennis, and golf. Edward loves tutoring and wants to share his knowledge and experiences with his fellow mentees.
Eunice
Eunice graduated with honors from UC Berkeley in 2010, earning a BS in Chemistry. Prior to attending Cal, Eunice graduated from Miramonte High School with a 4.3 GPA and received 5's on numerous AP tests. She scored above the 95th percentile on her SAT and received a perfect score on the Chemistry SAT subject test and near perfect scores on the Math II and Physics subject tests. She served as a chemistry tutor at UC Berkeley, a group leader in chemistry for a summer program for incoming freshmen; and taught and facilitated a student led course entitled "Chemistry of Cooking." In her free time, Eunice enjoys taking pictures, playing ultimate frisbee, hiking, and traveling. Currently, she is applying to dental school.
Jennifer
Jennifer is currently an undergraduate at Yale University where she is double majoring in history and economics and is also a member of the varsity softball team. She graduated from Foothill High School with a 4.2 GPA and was awarded the Scholar Athlete Award all four years for playing for her school's basketball and softball teams. While in high school, Jennifer tutored elementary school students as well as her peers in high school. Jennifer has good time management skills and can relate to the problems of most student athletes. After she graduates from Yale, Jennifer plans to go to law school and become a lawyer. In her spare time, she enjoys listening music, watching movies, and playing sports.
Jeremy
Jeremy earned his BS in Cognitive Science from the University of Westminster in London, UK, graduating with First Class Honours (the highest degree classification in the UK). He earned 5's on the AP Computer Science A and Computer Science AB tests, scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT, and has since scored in the 98th percentile in the GRE verbal section and earned a perfect score in the GRE quantitative section. While attending university in England, he hosted a weekly radio show, was the deputy editor of the university's newspaper, and helped host an international linguistics conference. Jeremy is an avid fan of music and plays both guitar and drums. He is currently preparing for a PhD in Computational Neuroscience and hopes to ultimately become a college professor.
Karen
Karen is a graduate of the University of California at Davis where she earned a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. She was selected for the Dean's Honor list in 2006 for being in the top 16% of her class and is now pursuing a career in orthodontistry. While in high school at Mission San Jose, Karen maintained a 4.0 weighted GPA and passed three AP tests. Her hobbies include photography and swimming. Her photography was recently selected in November 2009 for a full-page feature in the oldest art and poetry magazine west of the Mississippi River.
Maria Teresa
Maria Teresa graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies. She also holds a Master's degree from the University of London in Economics. Prior to Mount Holyoke, she graduated from The Ethel Walker School, a private college preparatory school in Connecticut. Maria Teresa currently works as an economist at a litigation consulting firm, assisting in writing testimony on various economic issues. She is also fluent in Spanish. In her free time she enjoys hiking, swimming, spending time with her son and in the past, working as a soccer coach with children of all ages.
Mike
Mike graduated from Duke University in 2008 with a degree in Literature and Political Science. He graduated with Distinction - phi beta kappa and summa cum laude - and has twice been published, once in the humanities (a paper on suicide bombing), and once in physical anthropology (a paper on lemur cognition). Mike is a native of the Bay Area and attended The Athenian School in Danville before heading back east. He has worked across a wide range of students and subjects, and is accommodating, flexible, and encouraging. He's a big fan of 20th century painting and experimental film. Mike will be applying to interdisciplinary PhD programs in the coming months and in the meantime is looking forward to some engaging and productive tutoring sessions.
Nick
Nick graduated with honors from UC Berkeley receiving a Bachelors Degree in Economics. Since he was a junior in high school, Nick has tutored students of all ages and subjects. He is currently working for a firm specializing in consulting for small businesses, where he enjoys using his acquired analytical skills from his economics studies to solve the challenging real world problems faced by small businesses. Nick has SAT scores in the 99th percentile and is a motivated, patient, and passionate tutor who enjoys helping students achieve their greatest potential.
Peter
Peter is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in economics-mathematics and a minor in philosophy. While at UCSB, Peter was a four year member of the intercollegiate rowing team, and the team vice president and captain his senior year. Given this experience, Peter can easily relate to the unique difficulties that student athletes face during the educational process. Peter has worked with a wide variety of students; from motivated college students to struggling low income students while volunteering at the local YMCA. This wide array of experience has given Peter a strong ability to discover and relate to each student's unique needs. In his free time, Peter enjoys playing/writing music, riding his bike, and running.
Phil
Phil is an undergraduate at Stanford University where he studies biology with an emphasis in neurobiology and a minor in economics. He is currently conducting research at Stanford's sleep laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry. He has SAT scores in the 99th percentile and was a National Merit Finalist as well as an AP Scholar with Distinction. Phil has over four years of teaching and mentoring experience and enjoys working with students of all ages. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, hiking, traveling, and music.
Ray
Ray is a 2006 graduate of U.C. San Diego with a degree in Visual Arts, Art History & Criticism. He achieved Provosts Honors and was an active member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. For 3 years he worked with a national test prep corporation and was employed at LLNL's Technical Information Department. Ray is also a graduate of Granada High School in Livermore, where he served as a lifetime member of the California Scholastic Association and received excellent scores in his SAT and SAT subject tests. He received an AP Scholar with Honors award for his accomplishment on numerous AP exams and was the recipient of the Granada Booster's Scholarship for achievement in Writing. Currently he is working to obtain a teaching credential to further his interest in the educational field.
Rebecca
Rebecca is an undergraduate student at California State University, East Bay, where she is majoring in biology with minor in human development. She is currently involved with research in solar cell development utilizing carbon nanotubes. She has an SAT I score in the 95th percentile, a perfect score in SAT subject test mathematics level 2, and passed 3 AP tests during her high school years. She also served as a peer tutor in her high school helping others with math and science. She is dedicated, patient and eager to show students how to improve their study skills and broaden their understanding of the subjects at hand. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, pilates, yoga and reading books. She is passionate about environmental protection and patient rights issues and is planning to apply to UCSF's midwifery program in near future.
Reyhaneh
Reyhaneh is an undergraduate student majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology. After completing her Associates Degree at Las Positas College, she plans to attend San Francisco State University in Fall 2010. Reyhaneh's long-term career goals are to work with children with autism and other special needs. She graduated from Amador Valley High School and received the AP Honors award for achievement in five different AP classes. She has been tutoring for four years and has been certified by a local community college tutoring center. She has tutored middle school through college level students. Reyhaneh loves to travel to different countries for humanitarian volunteer projects and plans to do more of it in the future. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of a book that will be released in local bookstores mid-May 2010.
Sara
Sara graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in the top of her class and is now an undergraduate at UC Berkeley working towards a degree in Marine Sciences and Environmental Science while participating in many university leadership programs, a campus sorority, and tutoring children of all ages in an Oakland housing complex. Sara scored in the 95th percentile on the SAT and scored 5 on many AP tests. Sara has tutored through volunteer programs for many years as well as tutoring summer school students in Math and English. In her free time Sara loves live music, going to the ocean, and hanging out with her awesome little brother.
Shokoofeh
Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor degree in English (concentration: Medieval Studies) and a minor in Creative Writing. Shokoofeh attended Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, at the top of her class, where she passed numerous AP classes in a wide array of subjects, ranging from Calculus BC and Biology, to English and Spanish. Shokoofeh maintained great grades throughout her time at UC Berkeley while managing to be the president of a student organization on campus and working part time jobs throughout her four years. She is currently applying to a PhD programs in English in Medieval Studies and MFA programs for Creative Writing. Shokoofeh loves to laugh, teach and learn!
Thuy
Thuy graduated from MIT in 2008 with a degree in neuroscience. She was valedictorian in her class of 950 at Independence High School and was active in community service and the Math and French clubs. She scored above the 95th percentile on the SAT and earned 5's and 4's in 10 Advanced Placement tests. In college, she taught middle school and high school students in one-on-one and group programs in subjects as diverse as doodling and calculus. She has been a mentor for two-year-olds up to MIT freshmen and really enjoys connecting with her students and mentees to help them define their own path to success, whatever that may be. She loves reading, writing, traveling, foreign languages, and learning new things. She is currently taking time to gain work and life experience and plans to study medicine and public health in the near future.
Tim S
Tim is a graduate of Amador Valley High School where he took numerous honors and AP classes in math, science, English and social studies. He is also well acquainted with the Spanish program and is competent to tutor up to level 3. Tim has enjoyed being thoroughly engaged in the band program at Amador Valley High School and now passes on his expertise by giving private drum lessons. Tim is friendly, kind, and willing to do his best to provide assistance!
Tyler
Tyler graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and a concentration in Management Information Systems. He graduated cum laude and held a cumulative college GPA of 3.6. During his stay at Cal Poly he was the president of a corporation where he managed 5 other senior level business students and made sure all operations were completed successfully and punctually. In his hometown of Livermore, he volunteers at the VA hospital, assisting veteran's in the physical therapy room. Tyler also has experience mentoring and tutoring a child with autism. In his spare time, Tyler enjoys playing guitar, both acoustic and electric, as well as camping, running, and spending time with friends and family.
Vladimir
Vladimir is a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, where he is working towards a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering with an emphasis on laser-driven Inertial confinement fusion. As part of his studies he works at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the fields of laser and plasma physics. Vladimir holds a B.S. in Physics from UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate he has done experimental ultra low temperature physics. During his college career Vladimir taught, tutored and graded college level math and science courses. Now he wants to use his expertise to help more students completely understand their material. Vladimir likes to cook, hike and play music in his off hours. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Vladimir hopes to become a staff scientist at one of the national labs.