Homework Help: Lower Stress and Boost Performance With Foundation Learning

Branden attended Marshall University on a track-and-field scholarship before completing his graduate education at Wilmington University. At both institutions, he graduated with honors at the top of his class. Branden has eight years of tutoring and classroom experience under his belt. He began tutoring after realizing that students often need additional support to truly grasp difficult subjects. 

Branden specializes in tutoring science, math, English Language Arts (ELA), and history. Witnessing the transformative moment when students finally understand challenging concepts is the driving force behind his passion for tutoring. 

As a tutor, Branden prioritizes creating a comfortable and supportive learning environment. He creates his lessons with a light-hearted approach, fostering a safe space where students can not only learn and succeed but also share stories. Understanding the varied ways students learn, Branden provides a diverse set of tools and strategies to meet each student's unique needs.

Branden excels at actively involving students in their own learning. He seamlessly integrates their interests into the material, often incorporating pop culture references to make lessons more relatable and engaging.

In his free time, Branden enjoys surfing, fishing, beach sports, watching movies (preferably with a generous amount of popcorn), and traveling. He has set a personal goal to match the 172 countries his father has traveled to.

Valeria earned a Bachelor’s degree from Emory University, where she served for three years as a Writing Center Tutor. She has also served as a Certified English Language Learner tutor and Matriculate College Advising Fellow. Additionally, she has worked as an Executive Assistant and College Prep Coordinator at Freedom University for two years, an organization dedicated to providing college prep classes, college and scholarship application assistance, and leadership development for undocumented students in Georgia.

As a first-generation student, Valeria intimately understands individuals' challenges when navigating higher education with limited support. Her passion for coaching is deeply rooted in her experiences and further fueled by her diverse admissions counseling roles. Working with students from varied backgrounds, she is inspired by their unwavering determination to pursue education despite facing adversity. 

Valeria’s teaching style is kind but firm, allowing students to have grace with themselves while encouraging them to take steps to achieve their goals—a responsibility that is ultimately up to them. She ensures each student's wants and dreams are centered in every conversation. For example, a student may want to be a doctor; ensuring they know each step to take in the college admissions journey is one step closer to achieving their dream. Valeria is open-minded and willing to talk through every decision, big or small. She is excellent at recasting ideas back to the applicant in a clear, concise manner, and she is a thoughtful listener and deep thinker who takes time to absorb and understand how to strengthen a candidate’s ideas.

When she isn’t coaching, Valeria enjoys writing, jogging, journaling (physically + digitally), playing Animal Crossing, and board games.

Abhiram has a Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from Lafayette College. His exceptional academic record and research contributions were recognized with the Excel Scholar award at Lafayette. He also completed his master's at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his postgraduate education at Columbia University. With over 5 years of tutoring experience and a background as a TA, Abhiram is driven by his passion for teaching and aspires to become a professor in the future.

Abhiram finds tutoring to be a fulfilling pursuit, as it enables him to play a role in shaping the future generation of thinkers and leaders. He specializes in ACT and SAT prep and physics, mathematics, statistics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, chemistry, and computer science at all levels, including AP and IB.

Abhiram is known for his patience, thoroughness, and hard work. He is diligent in his tutoring, providing extra support and assistance with any questions students may struggle with. Abhiram is also recognized for his approachable and easy-going demeanor, as he infuses humor into his sessions and offers words of affirmation to build students' confidence.

Abhiram excels at sparking students' curiosity to actively engage them in their learning process. He frequently incorporates real-world examples to illustrate how seemingly simple concepts are applied at the forefront of deep tech and cutting-edge research.

Outside of tutoring, Abhiram enjoys playing music and pushing his boundaries—he has even won a spicy food eating competition three times!