Applied Math student teaches algebra, calculus, and SAT math prep

Ansh S.

I am currently an incoming Applied and Computational Math student at USC Dornsife, and I bring both a strong academic foundation in mathematics and hands-on teaching experience to my tutoring. Before beginning my university studies, I volunteered for about two years with the Lotus Petal Foundation, a non-profit organization in India, where I taught mathematics virtually to a full class of students spanning grades two through nine. This experience gave me sustained exposure to teaching students across a wide developmental range, from those just building basic arithmetic fluency to those approaching pre-algebra and early algebraic thinking, and it taught me how differently the same concept needs to be explained depending on a student's age and stage.

My teaching method centers on visualization before computation. Rather than jumping straight into equations or arithmetic, I have students draw out a diagram or a visual representation of the problem first, so they can see the relationships between quantities before manipulating any numbers. I have found this approach particularly effective for word problems and applied math, where students often struggle not because they cannot do the arithmetic, but because they have not built a clear mental model of what the problem is actually asking. Starting with a picture or a diagram tends to reveal misunderstandings early, before they become embedded in a wrong equation.

Beyond my volunteer teaching, I have continued to apply rigorous mathematical thinking in a professional setting, currently interning at a technology startup working on applied cryptography and digital identity systems. This has reinforced my belief that mathematical reasoning is a skill built through consistent practice and clear conceptual grounding, and it is this same philosophy, visualize first, then compute, that I bring into every tutoring session.