Tom

Certified Tutor

Throughout my life, I've been blessed to have a number of great teachers and mentors. These key figures guided me through high school and college, helped me succeed in competitive fellowships like the Rhodes, and pushed me to grow both as a researcher and a leader. My career so far has been highly influenced by my teachers and mentors, and it is this knowledge that drives me to teach and to tutor. I want to establish mentoring relationships with the students I work with, so I can help lead them to success in the same way that I was as a student.

Because of this drive to give back, I've already amassed a number of prior experiences in teaching and tutoring. These experiences roughly fall into two major areas- the sciences, and the humanities. In the sciences, I've worked with both peers and younger students in a number of biomedical fields, and I also have experience preparing students for standardized tests like the MCAT. At Rice University, I also worked as a teaching assistant in Cell Biology, where I lectured at review sessions, assisted students individually with their questions, and even wrote some exam material. This experience was great practice in taking even the most arcane subject matter and condensing it into a format understandable by my peers, something that I think contributes to my effectiveness as a tutor. I also try to incorporate my research experience at institutions like the NIH into my tutoring in these areas, using real-world examples from cutting-edge research and scientific communication skills gleaned from poster sessions and academic publications to supplement the teaching experience.

Outside the sciences, I also have two years of experience working with a student individually in the humanities. I started with this student in 8th grade; he had no opportunity for formal education in the Classics at his school, but was interested in learning about the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. I developed tailored lessons plans for him, helping to teach him Greco-Roman mythology, Roman history, and Latin translation skills, and planning additional challenge assignments drawn from my Classics major and thesis in comparative mythology. To further supplement his education, I also worked with him to prepare for a number of contests in the Classics; within a year of starting this experience, I helped him progress to the point that he was winning regional contests through the National Junior Classical League, and medaling in national written exams such as the Medusa Mythology Exam.

Whether in the sciences or humanities, my students benefit from my unique blend of experience. My varied education, with degrees in both Biochemistry and Classical Studies and advanced study in a number of fields in between, gives me the flexibility to adapt to each student and the power to supplement a student's education with perspectives from other fields. My experience in leadership development, as president of my residential college, also allows me to guide students not only as academics, but also as career- and goal-oriented individuals. Finally, my passion, intrapersonal skills, and experience with academic communication help me find the right method of teaching to get each student motivated and thriving in their fields. I look forward to forming new mentoring relationships with my students through Varsity Tutors, and can't wait to help get them on the road to success.