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.
Lizette earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan before completing a Master of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Professionally, Lizette has over a decade of experience in higher education, having served as Assistant to the Dean at the University of Texas and Associate Dean of Student Development and Records at Morton College.
As a first-generation college graduate, Lizette is committed to helping others reach their potential. She understands that while some students have clear goals, others may need guidance. She enjoys being part of their decision-making process and assisting them through uncertainties.
As a coach, Lizette is known for being outgoing, understanding, and passionate. She is dedicated to finding solutions and maintaining a glass-half-full outlook. Her teaching style is centered around the individual student; she meets them where they are, learning about their interests and motivations to help them excel. Lizette empowers her students to believe in their own “magic” and provides the tools needed to stay on track and succeed.
Outside of teaching or coaching, Lizette enjoys watching college football, reading books, going to the beach, exploring natural trails, and traveling! One of her fondest travel memories is riding a camel across the Sahara Desert during a vacation to Morocco.
Jane completed her Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and is an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. She has mentored students through the college application process, helping students with college match and fit, career exploration, financial aid and more. Her guidance has led students to gain admission to prestigious schools, including Cornell, UC Berkeley, and UPenn. Professionally, Jane has served as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group.
Jane is passionate about paying forward the support she received to help other students navigate the complex college application process. She aims to make a difference by empowering young lives and maximizing their chances of achieving a top education. She finds it deeply fulfilling to see students achieve their goals and become better-equipped citizens of the world through her guidance.
As a coach, Jane takes a collaborative approach, actively listening to and empathizing with students. She prioritizes trust, self-empowerment, and individualized guidance tailored to each student's needs and goals. By using project trackers with deadlines, she ensures students stay accountable and on track. Understanding how challenging the process is, Jane breaks down the application into bite-sized steps and continuously encourages students with words of affirmation, celebrating every milestone.
In her free time, Jane enjoys reading, golfing, meditating, people-watching, cafe-hopping, traveling, and music. She was even part of the same college a cappella group as John Legend!
Foundation Learning’s physics tutors have extensive tutoring experience or hold physics/science-related degrees. Our tutors are knowledgeable, friendly, and confident.
Yes, Foundation Learning aims to make it easy for parents to check their child’s progress using our progress tracker. This tracker shows you precisely what your child is working on and allows you to see tutor comments and feedback after sessions.
Yes, Foundation Learning ensures families, students, and tutors stay on the same page using our progress tracker. Families can check the tracker to gauge student progress and view tutor comments.
We always start by learning more about students’ needs, educational goals, commitments, and preferences. Learning more about students helps us match students to a tutor we think will work best with them.
The best package for you is the one that best fits your needs and goals. We work with students needing varying levels of support. If you’re unsure which plan is best for you, our team is happy to help you explore your options!