As a student at Virginia Tech, I set out to break the stereotype of the socially awkward technology nerd by majoring in communication and obtaining minors in both math and computer science. After graduating, I chose to teach for a few years in schools that primarily served students in low-income communities through the Teach For America program. This program took me far away from the Virginia home I grew up in all the way to Hawai'i where I worked as a 7th grade math and science teacher. In my second year there, I led my students to pass the standardized math test at a rate 15% higher than the state average! I eventually moved to St. Louis to be with my wife and continued to work in the classroom. Come June, I will be changing careers, but I still want teaching to be a part of my life - that's why I chose to become a part of Varsity Tutors!

I'm most passionate about helping students get excited about math and computer science by helping them defeat their fear of numbers. Numbers make up a language just like any other, and it can be intimidating when you don't know the vocabulary and how the pieces fit together. Once you have a solid grasp on the foundations, everything starts to fall into place, and math quickly becomes an exciting challenge, instead of a frustrating obstacle.