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UC Irvine Grad: ESL, AP Tutoring & Test Prep, & College Essay Editing
Olivia K.

5.0 (2 ratings)

17 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $40
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Response time: 1 hour

About Olivia

Bio

Hello! My name is Olivia, and I am a results-driven and long-term skills-focused virtual and in-person educator with 5+ years of experience supporting learners at every stage — from elementary school students building foundational literacy skills to AP high school students, ESL Learners, college students, and adult learners pursuing academic and professional goals in subjects such as World, United States, and European History, Humanities, essay-writing, and Language Arts and Humanities...

Hello! My name is Olivia, and I am a results-driven and long-term skills-focused virtual and in-person educator with 5+ years of experience supporting learners at every stage — from elementary school students building foundational literacy skills to AP high school students, ESL Learners, college students, and adult learners pursuing academic and professional goals in subjects such as World, United States, and European History, Humanities, essay-writing, and Language Arts and Humanities subjects. I am currently serving as a Professional Tutor with Yun Sheng Global Education LLC in Orange County, California, specializing in preparing Chinese ESL students for U.S. private school interviews, AP exams, and the college application process via online platforms, including Zoom. I am an expert in Music History, Geography, and Social Studies, with a strong track record of improving student test performance and confidence through customized study plans and rubric-based essay proofreading and editing. I am skilled in professional and academic interview preparation, with students earning acceptance to their top-choice schools, including but not limited to the UC system, the University of Washington, New York University, and Columbia University. I have a Background in Medieval European History, Archival Studies, and historical analysis through a UC Irvine History Internship at the Sherman Library and Gardens, as well as a decade of performance experience as a classically-trained, freelance opera singer — bringing a unique blend of humanities knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and a passion for the arts to every tutoring session. I am known for building student confidence, developing strong note-taking and timed essay-writing skills, sustaining motivation across age groups to stimulate student engagement and motivation, and developing strong study skills tailored to each learner's individual needs.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-Olivia Kassien

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Education

University of California, Irvine
History

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Approved Subjects

American History

American History

I have a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and five years of one‑on‑one experience preparing students for AP U.S History. I enjoy teaching chronological and thematic thinking, in class essay-writing strategies with rubric‑aligned feedback, document analysis, and clear evidence‑based comparative writing. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and goal‑oriented, with personalized plans, targeted practice exams, and concrete strategies for note‑taking, test‑taking, and long‑term study routines. I also support English learners and aim to reduce AP stress while building confidence and lasting skills.
Art History

Art History

With over five years of one-on-one and small-group tutoring experience, I help students build art history skills—visual analysis, contextual interpretation, and research-based writing—drawing on coursework I completed as part of my History major and European Languages & Studies minor, where I excelled in all art history classes. I also teach study skills specific to the discipline (image-based note-taking, thematic organization, museum-reading strategies, and exam prep) to boost confidence and measurable improvement in grades and assessments.
English

English

I hold a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and bring five years of one-on-one experience helping high school students strengthen their writing, reading comprehension, and literary analysis. My areas of focus include thesis development, essay structure, voice, grammar, and college application essays — and I pride myself on delivering clear, rubric-aligned feedback and thoughtful editing. I also specialize in supporting English learners transitioning to U.S. schools, helping them build confidence in the language and navigate academic expectations with ease. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and tailored to each student's individual goals. Above all, my aim goes beyond better writing. I work to help my students become more effective, confident communicators — people who, over time, develop a genuine command of the English language and the skills to achieve whatever they set their sights on. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. -Olivia Kassien
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I have five years of one‑on‑one tutoring experience, both in‑person and online. I enjoy helping students who move from China to the U.S. build academic English—grammar, vocabulary, essay structure, presentation skills, and classroom participation—while teaching note‑taking, study routines, and test strategies that match American expectations. I offer gentle, culturally sensitive coaching on things like classroom culture, academic integrity, and communicating with teachers so students feel more comfortable and confident. I’ve also helped several past ESL students gain admission to their competitive private high schools of choice.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

I hold a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and bring five years of one-on-one experience helping high school students strengthen their writing, reading comprehension, and literary analysis. I love working with students on essay writing — helping them craft clear, compelling theses, build well-organized paragraphs, and develop a confident personal voice. I offer friendly, rubric-aligned feedback on grammar, sentence clarity, tone, and academic conventions, and I provide step-by-step guidance on college application essays from brainstorming through final proofreading, so every draft feels authentic and polished. My instruction is tailored to the specific demands of each course and essay type, including: AP History (World, U.S., and European): DBQs, LEQs, and comparative, research, and analytical essays AP English Language: rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and synthesis Literature classes: close reading and literary analysis essays Research papers: thesis-driven arguments, source integration, and proper citation I also enjoy supporting English learners, tailoring lessons to build language accuracy and comfort with U.S. academic expectations. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and fully individualized — built around concrete strategies and small, achievable goals that help students see real, steady progress. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. -Olivia Kassien
European History

European History

I hold a B.A. in Medieval European History from UC Irvine and bring five years of one-on-one experience preparing students for AP European History. My teaching focuses on the skills that matter most on the exam: chronological and thematic thinking, document analysis, and clear evidence-based comparative writing. I provide rubric-aligned feedback and targeted strategies for both the DBQ and LEQ, helping students understand exactly what graders are looking for and how to deliver it. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and goal-oriented. I offer personalized study plans, targeted practice exams, and concrete strategies for note-taking, test-taking, and building strong long-term study habits. I also enjoy supporting English learners and make it a priority to reduce AP-related stress while helping every student build genuine confidence and lasting skills.
Geography

Geography

With over 5 years of one-on-one and small-group tutoring experience, I help students build geography skills—spatial reasoning, map reading, regional and human-environment analysis, and research-based writing—drawing on my academic background in history and related coursework. I also teach study skills specific to geography (map-based note-taking, thematic organization, data interpretation, and exam prep) to boost confidence and measurable improvement in grades and assessments.
High School Placement Test

High School Placement Test

Over the past five years I have worked daily with middle school students to strengthen their academics and prepare them for admission to private, college-preparatory high schools. I have tutored dozens of students for high school placement exams, drilling the core tested subjects—grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, writing, mathematics, history, and science—while building test-taking strategies, confidence, and long-term study skills. All of my students have been accepted into the high schools of their or their parents' choice.
Interview Prep

Interview Prep

I have over 5 years of experience helping students of all ages (ages range from 5-18 years old) prepare for job interviews, public speaking engagements, school transfer interviews, and college application interviews. In the past, I have prepared practice questions for my students in order to prepare them for possible interview topics they will need to know the answers to when their in-person or online interviews come around. I also help students prepare how to sit, stand, shake hands properly, introduce themselves, and how to properly dress themselves for their school or job interviews. Every student I have helped has had a good experience so far and reported back to me that my preparatory sessions were of great use to them; they have said that they felt much more confident going into their interviews after practicing with me in advance. I have extensive experience preparing students who's families are currently or will be moving from China to the United Sates, and have interviews as part of their application process for the private schools they are applying to. For past students who speak English as a second language, they have told me that the preparation in advance was extremely helpful to them. I enjoy helping students prepare properly so they can confidently interview for their dream schools and/or job positions.
Literature

Literature

I have over five years of tutoring experience focused on the humanities, especially history, writing, and literature. I have assisted elementary, middle, high school, and college students in analyzing poetry, drama, novels, and short stories; creating thesis-driven essays; organizing paragraphs; effectively using textual evidence; and mastering citation styles (MLA/APA/Chicago). I prepare students for AP and other exams, timed-response prompts, coursework, and college application essays through guided practice and targeted feedback. I teach both in person and online.
Music History

Music History

I trained at the Orange County High School of the Arts (Opera Conservatory, grades 7–12), where I focused on Music History each year, and later earned A’s in two college-level Music History courses. I hold a B.A. in Medieval European History from UC Irvine. My conservatory background gives me practical insight into vocal technique, repertoire, and performance practice, while my academic history training helps me place works in their political, social, and cultural contexts. I combine close listening and score-based analysis with clear historical storytelling to help students understand why music sounds the way it does and how it reflected its time. I provide patient, focused tutoring—tailored readings, listening guides, contextual lectures, and essay or exam prep—to build both musical appreciation and academic confidence.
Proofreading

Proofreading

I have a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and five years of one‑on‑one experience helping high‑school students strengthen their writing, reading comprehension, and literary analysis. I love working with students on essay writing—helping them craft clear, compelling theses, build well‑organized paragraphs, and develop a confident personal voice. I give friendly, rubric‑aligned feedback on grammar, sentence clarity, tone, and academic conventions, and I offer step‑by‑step help with college‑application essays from brainstorming through final proofreading so each draft feels authentic and polished. I teach essay writing tailored to different courses and purposes: DBQs, FRQs, and comparative essays for AP World/US/European History; rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and synthesis for AP English Language; close reading and literary analysis essays for literature classes; and longer research papers with thesis-driven arguments, source integration, and proper citation. I also enjoy supporting English learners, tailoring lessons to build language accuracy and comfort with U.S. academic expectations. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and individualized, with concrete strategies and small, achievable goals to help students see steady improvement.
Reading

Reading

Over the past five years, I have worked with students of all ages to strengthen their reading skills, focusing on decoding and fluency, vocabulary development, comprehension, inference, summarizing, and close reading. I build reading stamina, test-taking strategies, and long-term study habits to boost confidence and measurable improvement on assessments. I earned a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of California, Irvine, which required extensive, detailed reading, analysis, and exposition daily, helping me develop solid reading and writing skills. Since graduating, I have spent the last five years tutoring ESL learners in elementary, middle, and high school in several subjects, especially reading and writing in English. I spent countless hours struggling with reading comprehension as a student myself, so I completely empathize with how stressful reading can be when it does not come naturally.
Social Studies

Social Studies

Over the past five years I have worked with students of all ages to strengthen their social studies skills, focusing on historical thinking, chronology, civic literacy, primary-source analysis, and comparative regional studies. I teach content mastery (U.S. and world history, civics, geography, and economics), critical-reading of secondary sources, evidence-based essay writing, and research methods, while building study routines, note-taking systems, and exam strategies to boost confidence and measurable improvement on coursework and assessments.
Spelling

Spelling

Over the past five years, I have worked with students of all ages to strengthen their spelling skills, focusing on phonics, word patterns, syllabication, and common exceptions. I teach systematic practice strategies (mnemonics, dictation, targeted drills), integrate vocabulary instruction, and build study routines and test-taking techniques to boost confidence and measurable improvement.
Study Skills

Study Skills

With over five years of one-on-one and small-group tutoring experience, I help students strengthen close reading, literary analysis, and academic writing. I also focus on improving study skills—time management, note-taking, test preparation, and critical reading strategies—so students gain confidence and see measurable improvements in grades and exam performance. I helped one student in particular learn to take notes efficiently during class, making it easier for him to complete his homework outside the classroom and then use those notes to study for the exam. We began using other strategies like flashcards, practice exams, writing out the definitions for key vocabulary, and other study skills that, with time, came more and more easily to him and eventually raised his exam scores and overall grade in every major class he had been behind in prior to retaining me as his tutor.
TOEFL

TOEFL

In 2022, I tutored an 8th-grade student who had just moved from China to the U.S. He and his family were worried he wasn’t academically prepared for his new school and the TOEFL exam required for assessment and private high school admission. I worked with him to build his skills using flashcards, essay writing, vocabulary, and reading exercises, gradually increasing his stamina for the lengthy test. To keep him engaged, we broke study sessions into manageable parts with clear goals and deadlines. As a result, he did very well on the exam, gave a great interview, and was accepted to his top-choice high school with a large scholarship.
United States History

United States History

I hold a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and bring five years of one-on-one experience preparing students for AP U.S. History. My teaching focuses on the skills that matter most on the exam: chronological and thematic thinking, document analysis, and clear evidence-based comparative writing. I provide rubric-aligned feedback and targeted strategies for both the DBQ and LEQ, helping students understand exactly what graders are looking for — and how to deliver it confidently. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and goal-oriented. I offer each student personalized study plans, targeted practice exams, and concrete strategies for note-taking, test-taking, and building strong long-term study habits. I also enjoy supporting English learners and make it a priority to reduce AP-related stress while helping every student build genuine confidence and lasting skills. Thank you for your time and consideration. -Olivia Kassien
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Over the past five years I have worked with students of all ages to strengthen their vocabulary, focusing on word roots, prefixes and suffixes, morphology, context clues, and multiple-meaning words. I teach targeted strategies—word maps, etymology-based learning, contextual practice, and spaced-repetition techniques—integrated with reading and writing exercises to improve retention, usage, and performance on quizzes and standardized tests.
World History

World History

I hold a B.A. in History from UC Irvine and bring five years of one-on-one experience preparing students for AP U.S. History. My teaching focuses on the skills that matter most on the exam: chronological and thematic thinking, document analysis, and clear evidence-based comparative writing. I provide AP rubric-aligned feedback and targeted strategies for both the DBQ and LEQ, helping students understand exactly what graders are looking for — and how to deliver it confidently. My sessions are practical, encouraging, and goal-oriented. I offer each student a personalized study plan, targeted practice exams, and concrete strategies for note-taking, test-taking, and building strong long-term study habits. I also enjoy supporting English learners and make it a priority to reduce AP-related stress while helping every student build genuine confidence and lasting skills. Thank you for your time and consideration. -Olivia Kassien
Writing

Writing

I’m a UC Irvine grad (B.A. in Medieval European History) with five years of one‑on‑one tutoring experience, in‑person and online. I help students become confident writers by teaching thesis development, clear paragraph structure, voice/tone, sentence-level clarity (grammar/syntax), and revision strategies. I coach analytical and literary essays, argumentative pieces, DBQs/FRQs, research papers (source use and citation), and college‑application essays. Lessons are practical and supportive—brainstorming, outlining, timed practice, targeted mini‑lessons, and rubric‑aligned feedback so students leave each session with clear next steps.

Examples of Expertise

Olivia has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 3 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Ratings and Reviews

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Reviews

Awesome tutor

Olivia has been tutoring my son for the last 4 sessions in history and I can tell that he feels more confident with writing his essay. She is very helpful with the writing process, making an outline and most importantly, she has been very encouraging, positive and offering great advice. She is very patient, responsive and communicates with the parents as well. I am so happy that my son seems less stressed with writing. I would highly recommend Olivia if you need assistance with writing!

Mindy , 7 lessons with Olivia
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Mindy! Working with your son has been a pleasure. Ryan has made so much improvement over the last few sessions, and he has so much potential. I look forward to working with him more in the future.

Speech presentation

My son had a project for a speech presentation. Olivia helped my son. She is really professional, Nice. she was helped my son get good points on his speech! My son was happy with her. we will continue work with her.will give the5 star*****

Ping, 1 lesson with Olivia
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Ping! Working with Andrew was a delight. He is an intelligent, hard-working, responsible, creative, and curious-minded young man who is exactly the kind of student I went into tutoring to help. His natural curiosity in all academic subjects is so refreshing, and it made our session so enjoyable and productive. I look forward to working with him more over the Summer!

Awesome tutor

Olivia has been tutoring my son for the last 4 sessions in history and I can tell that he feels more confident with writing his essay. She is very helpful with the writing process, making an outline and most importantly, she has been very encouraging, positive and offering great advice. She is very patient, responsive and communicates with the parents as well. I am so happy that my son seems less stressed with writing. I would highly recommend Olivia if you need assistance with writing!

Mindy , 7 lessons with Olivia
Hourly Rate: $40
Response time: 1 hour
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