Mia: Mundelein tutor

Certified Tutor

I've always believed that the spark of understanding, when a difficult concept suddenly "clicks" for a student, is one of the most rewarding moments in education. As someone who's been both a learner and a mentor, I'm deeply passionate about helping students discover that spark for themselves.

My journey working with students began in high school, when I volunteered as a tutor in a local school board summer camp where I taught second grade students to read, ultimately helping to raise literacy scores. Subsequently, I helped peers struggling in everything from introductory biology to English composition, and I quickly realized that patience, curiosity, and genuine encouragement can turn frustration into confidence. At the University of Waterloo, I continued that work as an upper-year mentor for first- and second-year psychology studentsleading review sessions, offering feedback on research proposals, and helping demystify statistical software like SPSS. More recently, I've run a weekly games-based learning group on the psychiatric ward at our local hospital, using collaborative activities to reinforce social and cognitive skills in a supportive environment.

I graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology, having written an undergraduate thesis in the field of clinical psychology. My research interests and academic experience informs the way I tutor: I always seek to understand not just what a student needs to learn, but how they learn best; whether they grasp concepts more readily through structured problem-solving, visual examples, or real-world applications.

I tutor a range of subjects, including:

* Psychology, research methods, and statistics (High school and post-secondary): From foundational theories, support crafting papers and arguments, to advanced statistics
* Writing & communications (High school, applications, and post secondary): Helping students craft clear, persuasive essays and lab reports
* Science, biology (Elementary school, high school and post secondary): drawing on my own undergraduate coursework

My favourite subject to tutor is biology and particularly statistics because once you crack the code and understand how the pieces fit together, you open up a whole world of possibilities. Guiding a student through that process, watching their confidence grow as they understand how the elements of a cell work together to support life is extremely rewarding and I'm grateful for the opportunity to support students' learning.

My teaching philosophy centres on two key principles:
1. Student-centred learning. I begin every session by asking, "What feels challenging? What do you already know?" That dialogue lets me tailor examples and explanations to each student's background and goals.
2. Active engagement. I avoid long lectures and instead use guided questions, mini-projects, and real-world scenarios to keep students thinking and applying ideas as we go.

Outside of academia, I was a varsity women's soccer athlete and am an avid reader. I love the teamwork and discipline of soccer, and I've found that the focus I develop in training carries right over into the way I plan and deliver tutoring sessions. Ultimately, I'm driven by a simple goal: to help students build the confidence and skills they need not just to succeed in a single course, but to become life-long learners.