Gina: Washington Park tutor

Certified Tutor

I know I've done my job well when a student feels confident about their own work. I believe that, with enough interest, a student often only needs a push in the right direction to see their own brilliance in their work, too. Those, "Oh, I'm a lot better at this than I thought," moments are magical to me. I tutor English, English Literature/Reading, and Writing at most available levels. My favorite subject to tutor is probably writing, because I feel that's where a student can put themselves most into their work. If a student can engage with a subject on a creative level, then a student can comprehend that subject. In May of 2020, I graduated from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) with a BA in English and college honors. I also earned departmental honors for my senior creative thesis, which means I wrote a novel-in-progress and it was well-received (it was one of my own, "Oh, I'm a lot better at this than I thought," moments). The senior creative thesis is something I worked towards for four years. Each year of college I took a creative writing workshop. Workshops consist of some creative writing pedagogy, the reading of stories or poetry by published writers, and the reading, editing, critiquing, and workshopping of peer-written material. My experiences in creative writing classes and in other English classes where I've edited the essays of fellow students have prepared me to review personal statements, essays, and creative writing (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction). I think I would sincerely enjoy tutoring someone in college-level English courses, and high school courses as well. My education doesn't necessarily contribute to my ability to tutor younger students, such as those in elementary or middle school. However, I have substantial volunteer and professional experience with children and younger teens. I've tutored as a volunteer for children occasionally, over the course of four years at the Ann Arbor District Library with my former student volunteer service organization, Circle K. Through Circle K, I've also volunteered in ESL classes where I've sat in on TOEFL prep and assisted the instructor. My volunteering at ESL was a weekly occurrence for about five months during college. I've also served as a volunteer for three years and a coordinator for one year with Circle K's K-Kids group at Angell Elementary in Ann Arbor. As a volunteer, I attended K-Kids almost every Friday for four years and engaged a group of 3rd-5th graders in on-site volunteer projects and community or empathy-oriented workshops. As a K-Kids coordinator, I obtained all materials needed for the volunteer projects and worked with my fellow Circle K volunteers, school officials, Kiwanis members, and parents to create good, meaningful experiences for the children. In the summer of 2019, I worked for the Ann Arbor YMCA, which was an energizing and challenging experience. A lot of the work was outdoors and I'm allergic to pollen, mold, grass, and trees. I never allowed that to show when I was with my teens, or at least I hope I didn't. As a YMCA teen camp counselor, I supervised and volunteered alongside ages eleven through sixteen. My job was to help the teen participants learn about community-based activities and local non-profits, and to also lead by example. My favorite experience with the YMCA was working at an affordable housing location and pulling a huge thistle bush out of a garden bed with the teens. Myself and two of the teen participants pulled on the largest, prickliest branches, and two other teens used shovels to lever the thistle bush's base out of the ground.
I have a vested interest in writing as a hobby, and creative fiction holds a special place in my heart. I like painting flowers and other natural things. Once in a while I'll draw something, like a civilization map or a character for a story. I've recently joined a digital DnD campaign (yes, I'm that nerdy). Video games have been a part of my life since I was a kid, but I like the ones where you have room to make a backstory for your character and fill in the blanks about the world around you. So, exploration games, but also games like The Sims 4, appeal to me. Other hobbies are listed in the "Interests/Hobby" category.