Northwestern graduate biology tutoring

Jenna E.

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut. During this time, I was a teaching assistant for Introduction to Biology laboratory for 3 semesters where I discovered my passion for teaching science. I have completed coursework in general biology, cellular biology, anatomy and physiology, developmental biology, and science communication. Following my undergraduate degree, I pursued a Master of Science in Reproductive Science and Medicine (MS-RSM) from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Upon completion of my degree, I was awarded the prestigious Teresa K. Woodruff Award for Most Outstanding MS-RSM Student in recognition of my exceptional academic work, exemplary character, and leadership.

During my time as a teaching assistant for Introductory Biology laboratory at the University of Connecticut, I co-taught, with a PhD candidate, a class of 20 first year university students for a once a week 3 hour lab. I was trained by the course director during weekly development meetings with an emphasis on developing positive mentor-student relationships to cultivate trust with students. It was important to me that my students felt they could trust me and be open to being vulnerable about what they did or did not know. I found this trust between myself and students central to providing them a positive learning experience. Furthermore, I would dedicate time outside of the classroom to develop helpful tricks and mnemonics to help students better understand content in the lab. Whether that be practicing drawings on a whiteboard to explain complex content or little memory tricks (e.g. the kneecap is a sesamoid bone, it looks like a sesame seed!), developing this variety of teaching tools helped cater to my students learning needs and make learning both effective and fun.