Rhea completed her Bachelor of Science in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics with honors at UC Santa Cruz and is currently completing her Master of Business and Science in Drug Discovery and Development at Rutgers University. In college, she won both the Dean's and Chancellor's Awards for her senior thesis, adding to her rich research profile. She also has six years of tutoring experience, including being a STEM tutor at the high school and college level and being an academic coach for various math and science courses. Rhea has helped students get into several prestigious schools, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Cornell, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Rhea deeply values education and understands its profound impact on shaping future success. She is dedicated to empowering all students to reach their full potential, whether it's mastering subjects or achieving top scores on the SAT for college admission. She specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring as well as math, biology, chemistry, and English at any level, including AP.
Rhea’s tutoring style is fun but focused. She avoids long lectures and creates an interactive, judgment-free learning environment where positive reinforcement and encouraging words are used to motivate students. She kicks off sessions with a thorough content overview, providing examples and walking students through problem-solving techniques, with a particular focus on efficiency. After presenting the material, she encourages students to recap what they've learned and ask questions. Practice problems follow, but Rhea ensures students prioritize understanding the problem-solving strategies rather than simply arriving at the correct answer. Once students have a solid grasp of the strategies, she shifts her focus to accuracy and timing, ensuring they're fully equipped to tackle any challenge that comes their way.
Rhea is adept at helping students tackle learning obstacles head-on. When faced with challenging material, she understands the importance of shifting perspectives or simply taking a break to reset. Rhea often asks students about their interests or weekend plans, allowing them to take a breather and return to the material with a renewed sense of focus and motivation. Rather than overwhelming students with continuous content or labeling concepts as "easy" or "hard," Rhea focuses on simplifying the material and providing relatable examples or analogies. By doing so, students can approach the content with a refreshed mindset and greater openness. Moreover, Rhea emphasizes the significance of embracing mistakes as part of the learning process. She reassures students that it's perfectly normal not to grasp concepts immediately and encourages them to view errors as opportunities for growth.
In her free time, Rhea likes to dance, take pictures, go boxing, find new hiking spots, and travel. She has been to over 15 countries!
Eraka completed her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus on Legal Studies from Sam Houston State University. She is an experienced elementary school leader with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Her journey into tutoring began as a means of giving back to others.
Eraka's tutoring passion is fueled by her desire to help students reach their academic aspirations, particularly in gaining admission to their dream colleges. Specializing in ACT and SAT preparation, she understands the pivotal role these exams play in the college application process.
As a tutor, Eraka excels at fostering an encouraging and interactive learning environment that enhances student retention. She adeptly meets students at their individual learning levels, ensuring personalized attention.
One of Eraka’s standout qualities as a tutor is her knack for making lessons relatable. Leveraging her outgoing personality, she establishes rapport with students by connecting over shared interests, which she seamlessly integrates into her lessons.
Outside of tutoring, Eraka is a major Marvel fan and enjoys being creative.
Leah graduated with a double major in Mathematics and Writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During her time at MIT, she won multiple writing awards and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She also served as a teaching assistant for calculus and differential equations, where she conducted office hours, led recitations, and provided additional problem-solving sessions to help students grasp difficult concepts. One of her most notable contributions was co-developing and co-leading a rapid prototyping workshop aimed at cultivating problem-solving skills and facilitating quick iteration and testing of solutions. With eight years of teaching and tutoring experience working with over 100 students, Leah looks forward to building a supportive relationship with Foundation Learning students and helping them take charge of their education.
Leah’s passion for tutoring is rooted in the profound satisfaction she experiences when witnessing students' transformative "ah-ha!" moments as they conquer concepts they once found daunting. She finds it deeply fulfilling to guide students through challenges and see their knowledge and confidence grow. She specializes in tutoring for the SAT and ACT and for AP calculus, pre-calculus, trigonometry, and algebra.
Leah’s tutoring approach prioritizes student-centered learning, fostering critical thinking, and promoting active engagement. She places a strong emphasis on problem-solving and instills a growth mindset, urging students to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and think creatively. She aims to create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where students feel empowered to become independent learners, equipped with the skills and confidence to excel academically and beyond. With a commitment to transparency, she actively seeks feedback on her teaching methods and consistently offers positive reinforcement and constructive feedback to students. She sees setbacks as opportunities for growth, working closely with students to pinpoint the root of their challenges and explore alternative learning strategies, including taking breaks when necessary.
Acknowledging that no two learners are alike, Leah excels at adapting her teaching methods to match individual learning styles. By incorporating hands-on activities and real-world examples tailored to students' interests, she ensures optimal engagement and understanding. She also prioritizes granting students autonomy and choice, empowering them to take ownership of their learning journey.
In addition to being a tutor, Leah is a versatile artist. She is proficient in pottery-making, screen printing, and digital art. She also aims to hone her skills in tufting and sewing to make her own rug clothing.
Our calculus tutors have tutoring/teaching experience or have a degree in a mathematics-related discipline.
We welcome parent involvement in all our tutoring programs. Parents can monitor progress using our progress tracker. Here, they can check on activities you’ve completed, comments from your tutor, insights as you advance through the program, and next steps in future sessions.
Our tutors are all experts, but our matching process ensures you work with a tutor who fits your needs best. The information provided in your intake form gives us insight into your needs, goals, and preferences; these are the parameters we use to select your tutor.
The best program is one that offers the support level you’re looking for. However, all our plans are personalizable to align with your needs and goals – we can help you select the right package if you’re unsure!