Benjamin

Certified Tutor

Hello! I'm working as a writing tutor for Varsity Tutors this summer. I just graduated from SLU with a BA in Russian Studies and Political Science and will be pursuing an MA in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies this fall at Georgetown University. I've worked as a Russian language tutor for the past three years but I will be mainly tutoring students in their writing capabilities. I know how to both prepare and write a good research paper and a good argumentative essay and I want to share my skills and insights with students. Especially with the rise of ChatGPT and other AI writing services, which can just write the paper for the student, I want to help students be able to both write and research without having AI tell them what is best but rather through their own understanding of the writing process. I struggled with writing through middle school and high school so I know how daunting it can seem. Moreover, I know that the appeals of AI isn't just malice and laziness, but a lack of self-confidence in one's writing abilities. Yet I also get that I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I had just asked ChatGPT to touch up all of my papers to have a more 'academic' tone. My learning style is very hands on and I want that hands on style to be reflected in my tutoring sessions, with students not just being lectured on how to write better but actually trying to write better.

My interests include, but are not limited to: reading, listening to music, gaming, walking, language exchange, global politics, arranging music, political culture, 20th and 21st century history, etc.