Learn Lifelong Skills For Academic Success With Our Study Skills Program

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.

Mark earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. His passion for helping students led him to become an admissions coach, aiming to make the college application process less stressful and daunting. Professionally, he has served as a consultant at IBM. 

Mark finds coaching to be dynamic and exciting. He believes it's enriching for both himself and the students; he helps ease their stress while they reflect, ask tough questions, and grow through the process. 

As a coach, Mark compares himself to a therapist; to help students achieve success, he aims to understand each one deeply. By doing so, he can help match them with the perfect college and enable them to build a more comprehensive application narrative. If a student is involved in a club, Mike enjoys learning about what inspired that interest. If students play sports, he determines whether that interest is driven by competitiveness or a desire for community. Mark believes every application should paint a clear picture so that the admissions board gains a sincere understanding of the student.

Marks believes that inculcating a growth mindset is incredibly important. He emphasizes that nothing is permanent and reminds students that their starting point isn't fixed; improvement is always possible with effort. 

​​In his free time, Mark enjoys going to the gym, long-distance running, recreational tennis, reading, writing short stories, and spending time with his two pet bunnies, Luna and Benny!

Hannah earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania before obtaining a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University. With extensive experience in student guidance, including five years as a high school mathematics teacher and tutor and teaching college bridge courses to high school graduates, Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge to her coaching role.

As a classroom teacher, Hannah built interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills while providing high-quality support to students, their families, and colleagues. After constantly answering college and financial aid questions, she realized her passion for counseling students toward their higher education goals. 

As a coach, Hannah loves getting to know students holistically to understand their interests and passions and help uplift those skills. She is a cheerleader and motivator, believing in students even when they don't believe in themselves. Recognizing the anxiety and overwhelm that can accompany the admissions process, she aims to alleviate stress and always lends a listening ear when students need to vent. One of her go-to mentoring methods for helping students manage tasks is the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a 5-minute break, with a longer 30-minute break every 90 minutes. This approach allows her to help students break down large tasks into manageable, bite-sized chunks.

Hannah is excited to support students in the admissions process and ensure they submit compelling applications to schools where they can thrive and contribute to a diverse school community!

In her free time, Hannah enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, where she rock climbs, runs, skateboards, hikes, and surfs. She lived in Hawaii for three and a half years and learned how to surf there. Now, she surfs in a wetsuit in the freezing cold water of New York City at Rockaways Beach! She is also an avid reader, puzzle-solver, and cook.