I hold a PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from a joint doctoral program between San Diego State University and UC San Diego, and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara. My graduate research focused on membrane biophysics and protein signaling, using techniques like fluorescence microscopy and quantitative data analysis, and resulted in six peer-reviewed publications. That research background gives me a deep, first-principles understanding of chemistry and biochemistry, from...
I hold a PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from a joint doctoral program between San Diego State University and UC San Diego, and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara. My graduate research focused on membrane biophysics and protein signaling, using techniques like fluorescence microscopy and quantitative data analysis, and resulted in six peer-reviewed publications. That research background gives me a deep, first-principles understanding of chemistry and biochemistry, from introductory general chemistry through advanced biochemical mechanisms, which I can break down for students at very different levels.
My teaching experience spans about seven years and several different settings. As a Teaching Associate in the SDSU Chemistry Department, I worked directly with undergraduates in a classroom and office-hours setting, helping students who were struggling with foundational concepts as well as those aiming for top grades. Throughout graduate school, I trained and mentored undergraduate and graduate researchers one-on-one in the lab, teaching not just techniques but how to reason through a problem when the answer isn't obvious. I also volunteered with Sci-Trek, a hands-on chemistry outreach program for local elementary school students, and judged undergraduate and graduate research symposia, which exposed me to how students at every stage explain their thinking.
My approach to tutoring centers on meeting a student where they are rather than applying a single method to everyone. I like to start by understanding how a student is currently thinking about a problem, then build from there using analogies, worked examples, and guided questions rather than simply supplying answers, so students develop the reasoning skills to solve similar problems independently. I'm especially comfortable with general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology, and I enjoy helping students move from memorizing facts to genuinely understanding the underlying logic of the subject.
