Bio

##### Education

I went to Princeton University and studied molecular biology. I also enjoyed elective coursework in neuroscience, computer science (Java), financial investments, economics, gender and sexuality studies, sociology, and political theory.

I was a high school salutatorian (2nd in a class of 500+), earning straight A’s for all of the secondary school (6.0 GPA), as well as joining the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and French National Honor Society. I also completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) program while taking 11 AP classes.

##### Test scores

* SAT: 800 Verbal, 770 Math, 750 Grammar (99th percentile nationally, in every section)
* SAT II Subject Tests: 800 Math Level 2, 780 Chemistry, 740 Physics
* GRE: 169 Math, 164 Verbal
* AP 5’s: Calculus AB, Chemistry, Biology, U.S. History, English Literature & Composition, Spanish Language
* Praxis II (secondary school teaching certification exams): 185 Mathematics Pedagogy, 181 Mathematics Content Knowledge (earned ETS Recognition of Excellence for exceeding the target score determined by the top 15% from previous years)

##### Awards

* National Merit scholar
* AP National Scholar
* AP Scholar with Distinction
* AP Scholar w Honor
* Scripps National Spelling Bee: semi-finalist

Teaching Experience

Volunteer tutoring since 2004 (including as a peer tutor at Princeton’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning); private tutoring since 2008, full-time since 2017. Primarily with students in middle school, high school, or college/graduate school.

I was also an English co-instructor for three months in a private university in rural China and obtained certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

How would you help a student stay motivated?

“My daughter was struggling with her precalculus homework and was feeling very defeated. After one session of tutoring with Stephanie, she has the concept and is feeling very excited about what she learned and accomplished. My daughter’s grade was a low C, after two sessions […] her grade now is a high B and still counting.”

~ Andrea, mom of a high-schooler

How do you build a student’s confidence in a subject?

“I’m so happy that I met you. Working with you made me feel more confident in math. You taught me **how to approach test questions in multiple ways**, and the way you simplified even what felt like the most complex math problems never ceased to amaze me.

Another aspect of you that I appreciated was your **patience**; you were very calm when I had trouble understanding. Moreover, you were always **amiable and flexible**. If I had to cancel a session, you always made yourself available to meet soon after.

The several helpful problem-solving strategies you taught worked for me. **My SAT math score increased by 180 points!** A few times, I asked you for help in the Critical Reading and Writing sections of the SAT, and the advice you gave me helped me advance in those areas, too. Sometimes you even helped me with Precalculus for school. I did well on the exams which I studied for with you. Another thing about you that much surprised me was your ability to help me expertly with almost anything. For example, in the case of Precalculus, when I needed help with a specific topic, you could grasp the concept quickly after scanning through explanations and models in the textbook.

For anyone who needs a tutor, I would strongly recommend Stephanie for all of the reasons I mentioned above. She has been my most favorite tutor, and she’s bound to become others’ as well! 🙂 ”

~ Asli, high school class of 2011

How do you evaluate a student’s needs?

“Stephanie introduced my child to Chemistry and Physics over the summer. She took complete control over the curriculum, explained the material well, and was very flexible with our crazy schedule. Stephanie identified my daughter’s weak areas and focused on those. My daughter said she did an excellent job and feels prepared for her upcoming IB classes in these subjects. I highly recommend her.”

~ Sanjeev, dad of a high-schooler, Class of 2021

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student’s needs?

“Originally, I was having difficulty keeping up with the work in my AP Chemistry class, along with everything else in my hectic junior year schedule. I needed someone **not only to help reteach the material but also to help organize the assignment load** in a manner that was feasible for me to deal with.

Thus, when I found Stephanie, I was pleasantly surprised by how well she knew the material and was **able to relate the information in a way that was easier for me to understand**. She took the time to make sure I understood every part of each chapter, and **went the extra mile in her explanations. She frequently wrote out notes and outlines, drew out elaborate diagrams, and even planned out schedules for me to work with when we couldn’t meet**. Also, we went over countless practice problems and reviewed everything I needed to know before tests. This was especially valuable in May when she not only helped me with AP Chemistry but also for my other tests like AP Spanish Language. My performance in both classes improved as the year progressed, and I ended up getting a perfect 5 on the AP Chemistry exam and a 770 on the SAT II Chemistry test, as well as a 750 on the SAT II Spanish test.

Based on my results with Stephanie, I strongly recommend her to anyone who needs help with their schoolwork. She is extremely knowledgeable in many subjects and is always patient whilst teaching. Stephanie was also very reliable and flexible with scheduling, especially when she was busy with her own schoolwork. I am so glad to have worked with her this past year, and am confident that you will, too!”

~ Michael, high school class of 2012

Teaching Skills