Leisa: Montgomery County tutor

Certified Tutor

I have been fortunate to be able to explore my varied interests through formal education and then share the fruits of my labor with others. My undergraduate studies started on the east coast at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where I was a typical freshman, exploring campus life and figuring out what studying was all about. I loved Biology, but I struggled with it, and I was lost in my 85-student weed-out class. I then got a student tutor, and I was so successful at being tutored that I did better than my tutor on the final exam!

My real passion was to explore Forestry and to do this, I felt that I needed to go to Colorado, and so I transferred to Colorado State University (CSU). After a couple of years of forestry classes and working a summer job with the U.S. Forest Service, I learned how to clean outhouses and campground firepits and what my early future would be with a forestry degree. Time to re-think my academic course, and Social Sciences with a minor with Sociology became my new areas of study. With an interest in exploring science-based electives, I took a class in Forensic Anthropology, which then evolved into an interdisciplinary study in Criminal Justice.

After graduation from CSU, my love for the mountains and skiing took me to Summit County, Colorado (ski mecca of the state), where I enjoyed life as a summer horse wrangler and winter ski bum, all with a very valuable Social Sciences degree. Having worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) through college, I continued to work in emergency medical services for the county ambulance service. Blending my medical experience with my Criminal Justice background and work as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff, I became a Coroner Investigator.

Now fast forward to today, thirty something years later, and I have a Bachelor of Health Science after completing the Physician Assistant Program at Duke University, in addition to a Master's degrees in Geriatric Health and Health Administration from A.T. Still University. While working as teaching faculty for the University of Washington Physician Assistant Program for eight years, I had the experience of working with adult learners, many of which were on the attention deficit disorder (ADD) spectrum. My love of teaching extends to teaching EMT students and the National Ski Patrol's Outdoor Emergency Care medical course for ski patrollers. As a life-long learner, I have found that teaching keeps me refreshed with learning and passionate to help others. From the Biology student in need of tutoring, I have come full circle to pass on the gift of learning that I received.