Customized English Language Tutoring: Learning and Confidence Starts Here

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!

Jeannie earned a BA from Cornell University and currently serves as a Research Assistant at the University of Michigan. She has helped students get accepted to college through her work with Matriculate, an organization that helped underrepresented high schoolers succeed in college admissions. In this role, she helped students build college lists, craft essays, and apply for financial aid. Students Jeannie has coached have been admitted to top schools, including Cornell, the University of Michigan, and Georgetown.

Jeannie has also served as a teaching assistant at the Ross School of Business. While in college, she led a group of more than 120 women as vice president of her sorority and led a club called StartUM, a student-run incubator at the University of Michigan, where she helped students develop their business ideas from ideation and development to pitching.

 Jeannie excelled in the college application process by leveraging her strengths and crafting a powerful narrative showcasing her true identity. This experience ignited a fire within her—a passion to help other students achieve the same results. Jeannie wants to empower students to identify their unique potential, navigate the complexities of the application process with confidence, and overcome any hurdles they encounter.

Jeannie's coaching style is student-centered and strengths-based. She believes in meeting students where they are in terms of knowledge and motivation. The first step is building a rapport and uncovering their individual goals, strengths, and areas where they might need additional support. This personalized approach allows her to tailor her guidance and identify growth opportunities. Once she understands a student's potential, she likes to challenge and motivate them to reach high. She fosters a growth mindset and a sense of ownership over their journey by celebrating their successes, big and small. Ultimately, her goal is to guide students toward achieving their goals and priorities.

One strategy Jeannie finds particularly successful in keeping students motivated is creating a clear timeline with specific goals. This visualizes the journey, allowing students to see their progress and celebrate milestones like finishing an essay draft or securing a recommendation letter. Motivation also thrives on recognizing strengths. She can build confidence and showcase their competitiveness by highlighting what each student excels at and connecting those strengths to specific colleges or programs. Additionally, Jeannie strives to make the entire process relevant. By helping students visualize how their hard work translates into reaching their dream college and achieving future goals, they can see the bigger picture and stay focused on the end goal.

At her core, Jeannie is a highly empathetic listener who is naturally encouraging and optimistic. Having conducted hundreds of student interviews on college campuses through her series called Gen Z Mentality, she understands that every applicant comes from a unique background with their own challenges. She creates a safe space where students feel comfortable sharing their experiences and concerns.  She sees her role as a counselor not just as a guide but as a champion who motivates students to approach the application process with their best foot forward.

In her downtime, Jeannie runs Gen Z Mentality and interviews students about topics ranging from careers, passions, and relationships to money. She also loves spending time outdoors at the beach, traveling, listening to podcasts, trying new foods, and watching The Bachelor.