One-on-One Science Tutoring: Ace Classes and Tests With Foundation Learning

Natalia graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in English/Language Arts Teacher Education. With a passion for student success, she has been tutoring for over 12 years. Her experience includes teaching middle school English language arts for nine years, instructing English as a second language online to students in China for two years, tutoring for an afterschool program for two years, assisting adult students with high school equivalency exams for nearly a decade, and teaching an ACT class in college.

Natalie's passion for tutoring stems from her belief that personalized learning is difficult to achieve in a classroom setting. Through tutoring, she can adapt her approach to meet the specific strengths and needs of each student. She specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring.

Natalie keeps her tutoring sessions light to make the learning and testing process less stressful. She aims to create a warm, welcoming, and comfortable learning environment, even through a computer screen. By breaking down complex concepts into manageable ideas, Natalie helps students grasp challenging material with confidence and ease. Leveraging diagnostics and data analysis, she pinpoints areas of potential growth for each student. She expertly selects appropriate challenges that maintain student motivation while ensuring they experience success and growth without feeling overwhelmed or defeated. 

Natalie’s strengths as a tutor lie in her ability to make SAT and ACT concepts relatable and engaging for students. By tapping into their interests, she helps them form meaningful connections to the material. She's also adept at helping students overcome learning obstacles by recognizing when they need a break and shifting focus to a more manageable topic. This allows students to return to challenging areas with a fresh perspective. Natalie is committed to understanding the root cause of any obstacles students face. Once identified, she works diligently to untangle these barriers, providing tailored support and scaffolding to help students navigate them effectively.

Some fun facts about Natalie are that her hero is Dolly Parton, she's been a dedicated Taylor Swift fan for years, she showcased her musical talents by playing the flute in high school band, and to add to the harmony, her husband is a musician. Vanderbilt was her dream school, and she cherished every moment as a Commodore, forming lifelong bonds with friends she’s still close with today.

Bria is a distinguished alumna of the University of California, Berkeley, earning both a  Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. While at UC Berkeley, she served as a mentor and application guide for students within TAMID.

Bria intimately understands the stress and uncertainty of the college application process. As an only child, she lacked a role model to turn to for advice, ultimately navigating the process without the guidance she now provides. This personal experience fuels her passion to be that guiding light for others.

As a coach, Bria excels at being supportive and giving constructive feedback. When editing resumes or essays, she always tries to do what she calls a compliment sandwich – start with a compliment, add what needs to be changed/fixed, and then end with another compliment. Bria knows criticism can sometimes come off as harsh or offensive, even if it is not meant to be, so she found this is a good way to get the message across and have students feel good about themselves and their writing.

When working with students who are hitting a learning block,  Bria uses positive reinforcement and encouragement to remind them of their end goal and that all their hard work will pay off. She is always optimistic, outgoing, kind, compassionate, and empathetic.

Outside of counseling Bria is a travel agent as a side hustle because she is passionate about travel and helping others travel, too. She’s been fortunate enough to visit 26 countries so far! When she’s not working or traveling, she loves to cook and bake, hike and be in nature, spend time with friends, watch TV, paint, and do puzzles.

Sophia completed her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with a minor in Social and Economic Justice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also completed her Master of Public Health at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and is an MD candidate at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Sophia has nine years of tutoring experience and has tutored over 50 students. She has also served as a teaching assistant for chemistry and calculus courses, helping students grasp complex concepts and achieve their academic goals. Her ongoing commitment to tutoring is fueled by her passion for science and desire to empower others through education. 

Having experienced the transformative power of education herself, Sophia considers it a gift she is passionate about sharing. She specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring, chemistry at all levels, including AP and IB, and pre-health courses. 

Sophia's tutoring approach is rooted in the Socratic method, where she focuses on nurturing both confidence and curiosity. She assumes the roles of a supportive coach and an enthusiastic cheerleader and supplements student learning by consistently asking thoughtful questions.

Sophia’s greatest strengths as a tutor are her intuition and resourcefulness. Sophia adeptly reads body language, ensures breaks are taken as needed, and incorporates mindfulness into her lessons to help students reset and fully engage with the material. Equipped with a diverse set of tools, she not only facilitates academic success but also strives to instill genuine enthusiasm for the subjects.

In her free time, Sophia enjoys shopping, playing basketball, cooking new dishes, and collecting elephants.