Meet The Team: Jamie Y.

Jamie Y. is a third-year electrical engineering student at UCLA hoping to graduate in 2021, a year ahead of schedule! Hailing from Rosemead, CA, Jamie developed an early love for taking things apart and figuring out how they worked - a passion that continues to this day. Learn more about Jamie and how she plans to eventually combine her engineering skills with a passion for sports (Go Rams!).

How’d you decide to study electrical engineering?

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been interested in building things. I’d start taking something apart and see what’s in it... even today I do that, when I probably shouldn’t! I looked into other types of engineering studies but ultimately chose electrical engineering because it seemed like the most interesting. I was also part of a program in high school taught by UCLA engineering professors, which might have had something to do with it.

What are you hoping to do after college?

I’m hoping to work in sports tech in the future. A lot of sports try to use technology to improve player performance. When you think of sports technology you may think of Apple watches and other wearable tech, but it’s also integrated into other aspects of sports. For example, baseball uses pitching labs - which use tech such as video imaging or whatever other devices - to see the rotation on the ball and how exactly the ball is coming out of the pitcher’s hand, etc. I want to do something like that: create tech to improve player performance. I’d been a little iffy on pursuing electrical engineering, but now I can combine my love for tech and love for sports, and it just so happens this is a big developing field right now.

What would be your dream niche scenario within sports tech? 

My dream would be working in football trying to develop tech for football. but they’re not necessarily the most advanced in their tech pursuits. For example, concussions is a huge issue, but if we develop tech for that we have to admit players are getting hurt. So my goal would be working for MLB. Baseball is such a numbers game - it’s all about stats, and they tend to be more innovative with their tech. They have pitching and hitting labs and other analytics.

How’d you get so into sports? Do you play?

No! And I don’t know how I got into sports because nobody in my family really watches them, but I’m a huge Rams fan. I even had season tickets the year they played the SuperBowl. I just really love watching, being a fan. I love football.

What’s your favorite thing to tutor?

Right now I tutor math. I’ve been tutoring math for a good chunk of time and even Spanish a little. I started tutoring in high school for a nonprofit called Project Neo which offered tutoring one-on-one for elementary-aged kids at risk. Lot of these students were struggling in school for various reasons and being able to help them was really meaningful to me. I remember as a kid struggling with school - I still struggle now! I didn’t necessarily have the help I probably needed so in a way - though I sometimes asked my brother for help with coding! - so I became an older sibling helping other kids. Then I translated that tutoring into college with PCH Tutors. 

What’s the biggest tutoring challenge you’ve faced?

Everyone has a different learning style. The most difficult part as a tutor is that you have to adapt to each individual’s learning style and be creative with teaching. I love it because I know that I’m someone who is really hard to teach. I have an understanding of how, if someone is not responding to how I’m teaching, we just  need to go a different route. 

What’s your favorite part of tutoring?

Seeing improvement, but also seeing the determination students have. Lots of times, especially in math, they’re like, “I don’t want to do this, won’t ever use it.” But then when you see the students who don’t understand - but are completely determined to learn the material - completely understand the next time to the point where they say I can teach it back to a classmate, is rewarding.

In engineering classes, a lot of times they’re teaching us how to think and problem solve for ourselves. I’m not necessarily just learning the material, I’m learning how to learn. That’s something I’ve realized in my own life and want to relate to tutoring.

What’s a mantra you like to impart to your students?

No matter how much you have doubt, you can do it. You don’t even have to know everything, but if you have that belief in yourself it pushes you pretty far. For myself, engineering is so hard and I don’t want to be an engineer necessarily when I graduate, but I have to put myself into the mindset of getting it done. IF you don’t want to do the work, you won’t do it. You have to be in it. 

What are your hobbies?

We also have a great sports/fan culture at UCLA and I love the pride we have. Even if we suck! Aside from watching sports, I actually like knitting. I’m either an old grandma or old grandpa!

Any good books or other media you’d recommend?

I’m not a huge reader but one book I’ve read that has stuck with me is Room. I love seeing other people’s perspectives on things: life, anything. In this book you see a kid’s mind who hasn’t been exposed to much, so you’re seeing the world through a completely different lens.

Meet The Team: Annie K.

Originally from Richland, Washington, Annie K. is a senior at Pepperdine University, majoring in biology and minoring in Spanish. She’s planning to attend med school next year and hopes to utilize both her medical and Spanish skills to reach a broad demographic.

First things first. How are you dealing with this global pandemic?

Our classes have switched over to online and I live in an apartment off-campus so I chose not to go home [to Washington state] and just quarantine myself here. A lot of people are nervous. It’s a big deal for certain populations and it’s important not to panic too much but seriously continue to contain it and protect at-risk populations. 

How did you choose what to study in college?

I wanted to go into medicine - and I’m going to med school next year, probably Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. At Pepperdine, I chose to major in biology toward that end, and after studying abroad in Argentina I picked up a lot of Spanish and decided to minor in it. 

Studying abroad is such an incredible opportunity. How was Argentina?

Argentina was amazing. I stayed with a host family and got to really integrate into the culture that way. I learned a ton of Spanish. In southeastern Washington, where I’m from, there’s actually a large Spanish-speaking population, so my skills will be applicable if I end up back there.

Any plans, goals, hopes, and dreams for what you’d like to do post-med school?

Something that’s always been exciting for me is to be active in community service - both globally and locally - and engaging all of those opportunities. I know they have some hospitals serving homeless people in Omaha, so I’m excited to get involved with that and general healthcare in the area during med school. Who knows where I’ll end up, though! I’m trying to keep an open mind.

How’d you get started tutoring? 

I’ve been involved in tutoring at Pepperdine since freshman year and I’ve always really enjoyed it. My friend Alex recommended PCH Tutors, and when I looked into it I thought it was a cool way to connect with my surrounding community and branch out from the isolated campus. 

What’s your favorite subject to tutor?

I really like tutoring biology. I find it the most interesting to me so find it easy to get excited while tutoring it. I love the little lightbulb moments that happen with students where suddenly everything clicks for them. 

What’s been your biggest tutoring challenge?

I think a big thing for me is figuring out how to motivate some of the students. Sometimes it’s hard to care about something when it doesn’t impact you directly in the future. Pre-calculus and biology can be especially tough sometimes. I think it’s important to tie school into real-life applications. Personally, when there is something I don’t feel passionate about, if I can think about how it connects to medicine it makes me more interested. Making a subject or problem connect with something a student wants to do or real life is important. 

Throughout my experiences tutoring I’ve definitely seen a broad array of learning styles which has opened my mind to see things from different perspectives because in order to explain something, sometimes you have to understand how they’re seeing it. I’m super visual but some students are completely the opposite so figuring that out has been a challenge. It’s definitely opened my mind. People see the world in such different ways, and you see that when you’re engaging with someone learning something new. 

Who is your educational inspiration?

I didn’t have tutors when I was younger but my mom was an elementary school teacher and stayed home with me when I was younger so I’ve definitely gotten my love of learning from my mom and my love of teaching others as well. 

What are your hobbies?

I love being outdoors and there’s a lot of great hiking in the area. I love paddle boarding, and reading by the beach or pool are some of my favorite things. 

Have you read anything good lately you’d recommend? 

I just finished Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. It was really good'; I enjoyed it. It’s cool how he explains social issues and forces you to think about them in a new way. The statistics he pulled out for certain hard-hitting topics like harassment and suicide were powerful. I never would have thought about those subjects like that. 

What’s a life mantra you think is important?

Something that helps when tutoring is to remind myself - and others - to take life one day at a time. When it comes to learning new things, take one concept at a time, then focus on the big picture. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with everything going on, whether it's your day-to-day life or whatever chapter you’re going over in school. 

Meet The Team: Rachelle R.

Meet Rachelle R., a first-generation college graduate whose passion is, unequivocally, to live her truth, be as creative as possible, and to make a positive impact in the lives of others, especially her students. Get to know Rachelle - and who she’s a No. 1 fan of, according to Spotify - on the blog!

Where are you from?

I’m an LA local but I’m first generation - I’m half Ukrainian, half Russian. My family came from a rural area, and I’m the first person in my family to go to college. I was always a big reader, English is my second language, and I really had a passion for learning from an early age. 

What was being a first-generation kid like?

It was really hard. My parents couldn’t help me with my homework if they tried; everything was so different for them. I was pretty much on my own so sometimes they’d get me tutors to help and I was never comfortable with them. I had to figure out most of it by myself.

I was an oddball growing up because I was very much into books and reading and used to draw a lot. One time, some kids stole my pen and called it the “alien pen.” I thought I had to hide that I drew well to avoid being picked on. It took me a while to realize I don’t have to hide.

Where did you go to college?

I graduated from Columbia in New York in 2016 in film studies; I was interested in art history also but from a more modern/postmodern lens. I wanted to be literate in every sense of the word, deconstructing images and deconstructing language. Because we live in a very visual culture, I thought film was the most relevant thing I could study that would also be interesting and not too sterile.

After graduating I attended Antioch and studied psychology. I am fascinated by anything that helps me make MORE of my everyday life. For a number of reasons I eventually left the program, but I don’t regret the time I spent there - I learned a lot, and feel like I’m still learning. One big thing I learned is that when people feel heard and understood - when they engage - they learn. When you have fun, dopamine floods your brain and helps keep you alert so that you retain information. I think that’s what resonated most for me, and something that I relate to now as a tutor.

How did you decide to start tutoring?

After graduating, I worked in a film production office. The company went under, so they laid off a lot of people. I realized I wanted to do something more meaningful and one on one, connecting with people, and not in an office. I’m also very academic, the kind of person that reads 200 pages for fun in a day. I enjoy tutoring and the things I go over with students: whether it’s world history, which is always good to catch up on, or English, which helps you be a convincing speaker and writer. 

Tutoring is about constant translation: understanding what a student is trying to say, talking about it, then helping them get their message across. It’s not about telling them what to say but giving them confidence in their own ideas.

How did tutoring become so integral to your post-grad life?

Tutoring honors who I am as a person, makes me feel productive, and I do feel like I make a difference. My students really touch my heart - they come from all kinds of backgrounds. You never know what kind of difference you can make by making a kid or teen feel heard. Sometimes they don’t even hear themselves out. As a tutor, you’re helping them change their future. If there’s a kid who hates school, acts out, rebels, they might dig themselves into a deep hole a few years down the road. But if you’re direct, open-hearted, and open-minded, they can start to see you’re on their side and that learning is not bad. 

When you’re a kid or a teen you really have an opportunity to explore that… before you have to go into the reality of the adult world, paying bills, etc. I think that’s precious and it’s inspiring for me to help other kids find their passion that may not “seem cool.” I feel cool now but back then, I didn't know my potential. When you can convince someone to find something cool about them, that goes miles toward them being confident and being capable of more than they’re aware. If you don’t make a student feel heard and special - in every area of their life - they feel small. You have to make them feel special and connected. Because everyone is special, ya know?

What has tutoring taught you?

It was while studying psychology I realized I prefer meeting people on an equal level. Through tutoring, I’ve learned you have to deliver the truth in a way that will be accessible to someone. You have to be honest and real. 

I’m really creative, so being constantly creative helps me stay sharp and keeps my mind open to new ways of seeing. If a student doesn’t seem to “get it,” maybe it’s just that you don’t see how to connect with them. I didn’t expect to enjoy tutoring as much as I did - I had tutors as a kid and didn’t always like them, but being on the other side of things has helped me come up with a personalized approach for every student. Everyone can teach someone else just by sharing the way they see the world. Tutoring makes me feel like I can do something meaningful every day: to make an impact on a student’s life and connect with them is such a good use of time and energy. 

Tutoring keeps me on the grind and helps me stay alert and productive. I feel like I’ve learned so much in just the year I’ve been working with PCH Tutors - I have such special and unique students from all different backgrounds and I’ve gotten to know them and build relationships. It’s really like the perfect job for me. I get to build my schedule and be forced to be creative because nobody’s like this is how you do it. You have to be intuitive, aware of yourself and your surroundings, and inventive about solutions. You’re helping yourself be heard to them and helping them be heard back to you. It’s engaging and fascinating. 

What is your favorite subject to tutor?

Probably writing. It’s very cool to talk about works I read in middle school and how they’re still relevant. That’s when I feel like I can connect with my students’ perspectives. They have a lot to say - anyone who thinks young people are apathetic, well, I feel that just isn’t true. It’s inspiring to see and help them care. Tutoring for me is about connecting students to their work. For example, if you hate writing something, nobody’s gonna want to read it! You have to find an angle to engage them. I help them polish and craft a passage from nothing but it’s really their ideas and when they seem them come to light it’s a good feeling both ways. Also, many kids and teens mostly communicate through texts and online, but writing a thoughtful essay helps them realize how effective good vocabulary can be. Through writing, you see it in action and that’s rewarding. 

What are your hobbies?

I value creativity and having lots of hobbies. When I am pursuing creativity, it helps me interact with my students with fresh ideas. I’m passionate about guitar and piano. I love languages and writing. I’m a big reader - I cut off social media and streaming because I don’t want to be passive, I want to be creative. Writing music’s like writing an essay for me. There’s an opening statement, a closing statement, body paragraphs/chorus, and you have to get a point across to connect with your audience. Music is a universal language that speaks to all ages and I love the freedom in that. I also love to draw. I’ve been been drawing my whole life and I have an online art gallery. 

Following your dreams can be scary. But I want to share my love for life, my curiosity, my humor, and my happiness to just be here with all my students and help them feel confident to follow their own dreams. The more things I can do that make me feel like I’m doing something positive for myself and the others around me, I think that’s really powerful. 

What are you reading right now that you love?

It took me a while to discover it, but The Da Vinci Code is like Harry Potter for adults. It’s a page-turner and the amount of history and politics and facts might otherwise sterile, but [Dan Brown] uses narrative elements very well and it’s so fun and engaging. I finished it in a week and now I’m reading the sequel. The books remind me that if we’re constantly curious and happy then we keep learning. I find that liberating. Dan Brown would probably be a great tutor!

What inspires you?

According to my Spotify, I’m a top 1% fan of Neil Young. It’s a little embarrassing, but what I love about him is that he’s very open and raw and vulnerable in his lyrics. He’s a real rock star without trying to be anything he’s not. He writes songs that come from a place of urgency, and it makes me feel ok to be human. 

In reality there’s only a couple years or maybe circumstances between people (i.e., tutor/student). There’s no reason to be condescending or pretend you know it all. It’s brave to just accept that we’re all human and in this position together. Neil Young’s trying to speak and live his truth, which in turn inspires others to live more authentically which makes them feel alive. That’s what I want to be for others, too. 

What are some of your dreams you’re following?

Since I was little, I’ve thought about how our time on Earth is finite. Learning the basics takes up so much time - for example, you have to learn music theory and there’s so much history to cover - but even in my 20s, I have to start somewhere and do what I can now. I don’t want to be rich or famous but if I don’t continue to create, I’ll feel like a failure. My earliest dream job was to be a writer or animator. I’d love to write an amazing scenario for cartoons including music. Maybe by the time I’m 40 or 50 I can invest fully in that and nurture future generations. 

Any parting thoughts for the kids and tutors and parents out there?

I want to feel like I’m living my truth and being the best I can be. I like to think it’s heroic to be a good tutor. You can make such a special impact because growing up can be such a rough time for kids. I know I had a hard time when I was in school because I was a first-generation, kind of a nerd, the whole deal. None of those things are bad but if I’d had someone to be like, “I believe in you, you have all these skills...” who knows. Not everyone can have that but if you can do that for something you’re standing up for yourself, too.

Meet The Team: Imani W.

Imani W. was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She wanted a significant change during her college years and sought “A completely different environment surrounded by new sights, smells, tastes.” She’s not quite sure how she ended up at Pepperdine, but it turned out to be the exact contrast she was looking for and she’s pretty glad she came.

““Every time a student says, ‘Oh that’s it, that’s so simple!’ is a memorable moment for me.” - Imani W. ”

What are you studying and how did you choose your major?

I am studying computer science and mathematics. I chose these because I have always been curious about the world that we live in and what governs it, if anything. I have always been a wanderer, explorer, and dreamer - as we all are - and wanted to study the laws of nature that are encoded in mathematical symbols. My life and appreciation for nature and its beauty is what lead me to mathematics. Computer science seemed like a modern and practical application for these studies so I chose to major in that. I was also motivated by the technological progress of the world and the amazing ability for computation to make remote learning a possibility. 

Spending time in Kenya, one gains understanding of the potentially life-changing outcomes that can come from providing access to quality education for those who would not otherwise have the chance to evolve their lives due to the limitations imposed upon them. Computer science - and technology in general, I thought - were good mediums to provide mass relief to such people.

What do you plan to do once you graduate? 

I don’t know yet!

How and why did you start tutoring?

I have a younger sister who really does not like math and I would help her with her math homework, always trying to make it a fun experience. This was my first tutoring experience. I then started informally tutoring my friends and classmates. I would help them with homework and teach them before tests, mostly in computer science. I started tutoring with PCH Tutors because it is a great opportunity for me to test my knowledge on a subject. To paraphrase Einstein, true intelligence is the ability to make something complex seem simple. Ultimately, any subject matter, no matter how complex it may appear, can be reduced to a simpler form. Thus, all the most complex forms of mathematics rely on the most simple principles and providing students this ability to see something complex in a simpler form is why I started tutoring.

What’s your favorite part about tutoring?

My favorite part about tutoring is connecting with the student. We are all so unique and have so much to offer the world and each other. I really enjoy interacting with students and finding the specific learning style that suits them. I am also a student and understand the stresses of being in school and really enjoy being able to provide students with the ability to adjust their perception about school and their engagement with subject matter that they may not particularly enjoy while learning how to alleviate the anxiety that comes from not performing as well as you wanted to. I find that a lot of students believe that they are inherently bad at a subject and it is amazing to see them start to become confident in their work and capabilities.

Do you have any success stories or memorable moments from tutoring?

Every time a student says, “Oh that’s it, that’s so simple!” is a memorable moment for me.

What is something you’ve learned about yourself through tutoring?

I’ve learned that I really enjoy teaching! I would never have thought that prior to tutoring but I really like making the learning process as fun as possible. 

What is the biggest advice or a favorite mantra you share with your students?

School is a place to learn: enjoy the process of learning first without attaching yourself to a particular letter grade. 

What else do you do for fun? 

Hiking, photography, and sunbathing. 

Have you read any good books lately?

I recently read a book called Second Life which was about virtual reality and its ability to give individuals who are confined to bedrest due to illness the opportunity to explore the world and interact with others virtually. I enjoyed the book as I believe in the advancement of the human species in a holistic manner; it is vital for us all to employ humanitarian efforts in all our endeavors and this was a beautiful illustration. 

Meet The Team: Veronica L.

Veronica L. is a 20-year-old senior from the Bay area studying communication with an emphasis on rhetoric in leadership at Pepperdine University. She will graduate this spring and plans to set off on an adventure around the world next September. Veronica has a passion for helping students and advocating for education and healthcare, and has gleaned a lot of wisdom and insight during her time as a tutor. 

““When life gets crazy and I think about how I have to ‘get back on track’ I tell myself, ‘You silly girl, there is no track!’ Life is all about riding from one weird thing to the next weird thing.” ”

How did you decide to attend Pepperdine?

I was planning to major in biology and trying to decide between several schools including the University of Washington. I took a trip there to meet the professors with whom I’d be doing research in the biology department. One of them wisely advised me that if there was any chance I would switch my major, I should reconsider attending. They have a strict program that’s hard to get out of, and he told me that unless I wanted to do that 100% of my life, I should go to a school that would be more accommodating about switching. Although I was passionate about science and thought I wanted to do it, at 17 years old I didn’t have the level of confidence to commit the next 40 years to this small and specific program. I ended up choosing Pepperdine and I couldn’t be happier. 

What are you studying, and why?

I started as a biology major but freshman year I felt really drawn to medicine as a profession. I really loved science and math but something felt off, and I was trying to unpack why. I realized what really drew me to choosing biology was doctors advocating on behalf of patients - the connection element of science and communication and advocacy. After thinking about it I switched to communications, specifically the rhetoric in leadership track. I spend lots of class time doing public speaking and communication theory. I’m also a gender studies minor. I love studying people on the margins of society and learning how to help them communicate with the people in the center, breaking down barriers. 

What do you plan to do when you graduate? 

I’ve been saving since I was 13 to take a year of travel. I don’t want to rush to jump into grad school or a full-on career, so I decided to pull out the savings and do the trip next year, for a full September - September. When I come back, I’m really interested in going into some sort of advocacy or policy-centered nonprofit. I want to look at health and how the healthcare system operates, so political advising also seems interesting, focusing on gender equity, education, and health. I know what I’m good at and passionate about, which feels more freeing than stressful. 

What are your travel plans for next year?

I’m planning on starting somewhere in southeastern Europe, possibly Turkey. I’m going with a best friend whom I studied with in Argentina, so we plan to spend three months in Spain to revive the Spanish we’ve lost. My parents will be in northern Europe for my dad’s sabbatical as well: Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc., so I’ll spend time with them up there. 

How did you get started tutoring? 

I started tutoring informally while in high school. I was nannying for a family and as the kids aged into more intense homework loads, I started helping them. For a time I really thought I wanted to be a teacher: it’s a field I really respect, and both my parents work in the education system. I tutored at a nonprofit in high school, working with a girl who has learning disabilities. I got so much joy just seeing how she learns so differently. Teaching her required breaking out of classroom boundaries and I got excited about figuring out how if she’s not learning math this way, how can we incorporate art or color or movement to the lesson; bits of problem-solving sparked creativity for both me and my student. For some, tutoring is the only opportunity kids have to learn in different ways.

When I got to college, a couple friends recommended tutoring as a way of structuring my time around crazy class schedules. I love the agency PCH gives me. I had so much fun tutoring in high school, and I think it keeps me a little bit smarter to have to teach people things constantly. Friends are shocked and awed when I can remember how to find the volume of a pyramid - well, it’s because I just had to teach someone yesterday! It also keeps me up on my grammar and structure of writing. I’ve seen how tutoring keeps me sharp to things I wouldn’t remember or view as important if I wasn’t still looking at them during tutoring. 

What do you like about tutoring?

First, seeing how much of a privilege tutoring is and thinking about how many students don’t have access to it. I love how it makes me think about ways that schools and teachers or families can benefit from having tutors. Tutoring should be something everyone is able to get, but students who have access create a disparity. So I think it’s inspired me to advocate on behalf of individualized, personalized learning in our education system.

Second, it’s helped me realize how uniform our education system is in terms of how it teaches in ways that might totally gloss over how a student absorbs information. While tutoring one student I’m usually challenged to think of how I can reframe it if a student isn’t understanding. For example, if their focus is better in the living room than in the kitchen I can say, let’s just move. How is learning so personal, yet we’ve created this system where it’s so uniform? I’ve been reflecting on how that affects the way a student can feel about their homework, school, teachers, peers, and even tutoring itself. I recognize the importance of standards but not the ways of getting students to meet them. We all learn and take in information so differently. The beauty of tutoring is that it pulls the student out of that mold and helps you not only learn but also how to learn.

What have you learned from tutoring?

Tutoring is not a way of explaining but reframing how to learn, how to explain the knowledge. I think the biggest thing I’ve noticed that when a student senses I’m handing the agency of learning over to them they are more inclined to vocalize what works for them. Instead of saying “not this,” you can pause, identify that’s something’s wrong, and encourage the student to explore the right way to solve a problem. If you do it for them it decentivizes feeling the value of what they’re doing. I’m all about giving agency to the student over what they’re doing, making them feel comfortable. Ultimately, I’m not here for parents, teachers, or schools: I’m here for students and I’m a tool for them. They should feel they can use me rather than feeling I’m just here to teach them. 

Do you have any tutoring success stories?

I have a student who is a professional equestrian. She’s an amazing girl and student, and she’s so passionate about what she does. Last year her career took off so I started working with her in late spring where I quickly discovered she was nearly a semester behind. She had to have everything done by June. I admit, it seemed daunting to have three months of work to cram into a few weeks.

When I started working with her I could not imagine what she was going through: this student was doing homework for nine hours a day, taking two tests a day for two weeks, and just plowing through it. She didn’t want to do school but understood that school is necessary. So we sat and rationalized: school is not her priority, but how can we get through it and how will it help her succeed in her actual passion? I reminded her that this might be so hard, and you’re tired now, but look at the success you’re getting both in school and then also the actual joy in life, horses. The sacrifices you’re making to do both will be so valuable down the line. 

It’s been cool to validate her reasoning for doing online school while also competing and all the resulting moments of stress. For her, school was a hurdle but it propelled her to be more competitive in what she wanted to do. It was awesome to look at her in this holistic way, not as someone who was lazy and got behind in school but as someone who is incredibly talented in something most of us couldn’t do. The grit and perseverance with which she approached the homework as a means to then pursue her passion… more power to you.

We’ve grown up with this linear way of understanding high school and education: this is the way and timeline and etc. School doesn’t have to look like it does for everyone else. Students should feel like school can work for them even if it’s not in the traditional sense. 

Anyway, she got caught up, and this year we’re focusing on not getting three months behind while she competes. I gotta admit I was more than a little impressed we did it. 

What’s a mantra you often impart to your students?

Resilience. When you get caught in a tough class or life circumstance or when you have no idea what’s going on - be resilient. Resilience isn’t something others possess and you don’t: we all have it, it can apply to academics and personal life alike. That mantra for me is believing in myself as someone who is resilient and imparting that: you’re inherently capable of getting over hurdles. Even if you slide through or go around it, find a way past it that works for you doesn’t mean you’re less capable. Resilience is there, just find a way to tap into it that works for you. 

If you have any free time, what do you do with it?

Thankfully I do have free time. I dance - I take weekly classes at a ballet school in Santa Monica. I used to dance professionally at the San Francisco Ballet in middle and high school, so classes are a way of carrying on that passion. I’m in a sorority and love all things social. Friends are a number one priority. I also work at Lululemon, which allows me the time to spend in the outdoors and working out. 

Have you read any good books lately? 

I force myself to read 30 minutes every night to shut down my head, otherwise I think I would lose my mind. I’m a massive massive nerd and WWII history buff so I’m currently working through the third part of The Last Lion, the huge biography on Winston Churchill. It’s an amazing 850-pg. book - I’m on pg. 530. My less nerdy answer is Little Bee, I recommend it to everyone who is interested in relevant novels. It’s about a young refugee in the UK. 

Any last words of wisdom you’d like us to take away from this conversation?

Your path is not linear - it never will be. Don’t expect it to be or every life expectation will fail. As soon as you expect something to be linear, the world will remind you it’s not. Assume it’s not going to be traditional and conventional and I think you’re set up more for success.

Meet The Team: Tiffany C.

Tiffany C. is a Pepperdine University senior studying computer science and math. Originally from Sacramento, she thinks that Saoirse Ronan movie Lady Bird is pretty relatable (though she can tell which parts were not shot on location in her hometown) and says tutoring has actually made her less of an introvert. 

How’d you choose to major in computer science and math?

I was originally undecided when I applied and honestly, I don’t know what the turning point was. I started off with computer science then added math later. While thinking through all my options that summer beforehand, computer science was what interested me the most, so when I got an email right when school was about to start freshman year asking if I was still undecided, I decided to give computer science a shot. I hadn’t had any experience with it before, but once I got to school and started taking classes and meeting different people within the major, I grew to enjoy it. Adding the math major was more of a natural flow: I have always enjoyed math, and thought it made sense. Now I actually want to become a math professor one day.

Is that what you want to do short-term, too? Teach math?

After I graduate next spring I still have to take two general electives. I’m taking a world civics class and a religion class through the Pepperdine Summer Abroad office in Lausanne, Switzerland. I’m also hoping to see as many countries as I can during that time: it’s much easier to travel to other European countries when you’re already in Europe!

Short term, I’m also preparing for grad school, probably in math. I’m studying for the GRE, but immediately post grad school, I’m not sure exactly what I want to do or where I want to study. I’m considering heading to the Bay area: LA has been great but I actually am not sure I’m as much of a big-city girl as I thought.

Do you have any favorite math subtopics or problems?

The math elective that I found the most interesting is combinatorics; simply, a friend and I joked it was about learning how to count. It’s about learning different permutations and calculations, ways to count items, and listings of them. It’s actually really fun.

How did you get started tutoring?

I finally got a car during my junior year, which allowed me to be more mobile. And I knew if I was going to get a job, I wanted it to be related to something I was doing in school. Tutoring felt like the most natural thing to do. 

What’s your tutoring philosophy?

Everyone comes from different math backgrounds. I’ve had students who’ve actually enjoyed math, but obviously others don’t share that same sentiment; it’s just something they have to do to get through school. It can be difficult to adapt to different learning styles and knowledge backgrounds but I do understand the sentiment of not enjoying math. Even as a math major, sometimes I don’t enjoy certain classes. It can get really hard and frustrating, so I understand where that feeling comes from. If that happens with a student, I relate to my own experience. Ultimately seeing people with different math backgrounds and interests still coming to the same conclusion of a problem because, well, it’s math, is satisfying.

How did you develop your own tutoring style?

I didn’t have tutors in particular myself, but going to my professors’ office hours and seeing how they help me when I don’t understand particular topics has been helpful. 

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome as a tutor?

When a student is not particularly interested in the subject, getting them to solve the answer without me feeding it to them can be challenging, especially since I mostly tutor math. If a student isn’t interested, they often don’t want to try, and it can be hard to get them to think about the question. I have to be careful not to solve the problems for them. I found that me as a tutor I have to be very patient. If I’m not patient, it’s easy to be like, “This is the answer, this is how, let’s move on.” But that’s not the point of tutoring. 

What’s your best advice for students you tutor?

That it’s okay to be stuck on a problem. Being stuck doesn’t say anything about how smart you are or anything else. This is something I adopted from my professors here: a lot of the learning process does come through struggling with the question. I encourage my students with the idea that the process is where the learning comes from. Then, when you do have that breakthrough, it will stick better than if someone just told you the answer.

What have you learned about yourself through tutoring?

I consider myself a very introverted person, so part of me was a little worried about being a tutor, especially knowing I’d sometimes get called for a last-minute session with a student who is not one of my regulars. I was worried about how I would be in that situation - if I would be awkward, etc. But it turns out, I realized, I’m not just showing up of my own accord. I’m going as a tutor for a specific purpose and knowing that helps me in being able to open up to the student. It also feels more natural in a way to discuss math as a common ground to start discussion that way and from there, slowly make small talk in between questions. It’s been really helpful to have that in terms of opening up conversation and getting to know students. 

As a double-major and PCH tutor, do you have any free time?

My free time is limited, but when I do have spare time I enjoy playing guitar. I also enjoy watching movies. My favorite is Memento - it’s one of those movies where, when you get to the ending, it just makes you want to watch it again. In Memento there’s a big reveal and it kind of leaves you with this “wow” factor that makes you want to go back and figure out why that ending makes sense. 

Meet The Team: Derek N.

Derek N. never sleeps - but with good reason. He grew up in Newport Beach and went to Corona Del Mar High, then studied pre-med and English with an emphasis in film at UCLA. While he’s graduated now and focused on directing and producing everything from short films to commercials to branded content, he says tutoring keeps him sharp enough that med school could still end up on the table. Keep Derek on your radar: you will likely see his name again some day on the big screen… or on your hospital papers!

Your brief life synopsis begs a ton of questions. How did you manage to graduate from UCLA in four years with both a pre-med and an English/Film degree?

The way I looked at it was, back in high school I took five APs each year along with playing state-level competition piano and varsity tennis. I honestly didn’t have any time at all when I was in high school. But the second I got to college I was like, “Oh wow I have endless amounts of time in comparison.” Compared to high school, I now had three classes maybe twice a week - what was I gonna do with all that leftover time? 

I’ve always loved film. My family jokes that they learned English from the movies. Both my mom and my dad come from families with lots of kids and my grandparents would take them to the movies to get them to shut up, disguised as family bonding time. My parents continued the tradition: as a kid, we saw at least two movies a week in theaters. So I started spending my spare time as a pre-med major in college trying to make films, and figured studying English would be a great way to bridge the gap. The center of any career is being able to communicate with others, whether writing or speaking, so improving my storytelling and writing and communication in all different facets was important whether I was going to be a doctor or a filmmaker. It was an exciting and mutli-faceted education, to say the least. 

Do you have a favorite movie?

It’s hard to name a favorite movie; they all have different stuff that makes each one amazing. One of my favorites, a guilty pleasure, perhaps, is 500 Days of Summer. It’s the perfect subversion of the rom com genre: the filmmakers know exactly how to use conventions to subvert audience expectations. Plus it has great acting. I also love films from Martin Scorsese, like Goodfellas, and sci-fi movies like Blade Runner 2049. But I also enjoy wacky comedies like Zoolander. 

Why are you focusing on films right now instead of medicine?

I did all my pre-med classes but even before I graduated I was getting hired to do work for commercial companies and musicians so I decided to give film a fair shot first once I finished school. It’s exciting and a grind - especially since I still tutor for PCH Tutors as well - but that’s freelancer life. On my projects I typically direct and produce, often overseeing a crew of about 10-15 people. I’m involved with everything from storyboarding and conception through the edit and finished product. You can sleep when you’re dead!

How do you juggle an intensive freelance filmmaking hustle with tutoring, especially subjects that have little to do with filmmaking, like high-level science and math?

My film hustle is still in the early stages as I get to know more people and gain more experience, so I still need to support myself in other ways. I love tutoring and teaching in general. I have three younger siblings and growing up I used to teach them all the time, essentially tutoring them in piano, school, tennis, etc. I always found it fulfilling to know that with whomever I’m teaching or tutoring, it’s making a big difference. I love being able to communicate with people - I’m a big people person, I love talking to people and get to know them; it’s a huge part of my filmmaking job as well. Tutoring keeps my brain sharp, too. Every student is different so you have to adapt to every person.

What are some of your favorite aspects of tutoring?

Once I ended up tutoring a student who was pre-med and worked at a hospital. I happened to know the doctors and people they’d talk about when we’d chat in between actual tutoring. The student live near where I grew up so it was a cool to experience teaching someone so close to home. It was encouraging to talk to someone who was heavily studying pre-med and remind myself that I also know this stuff; I can actually have a deeper conversation about these different biological functions and whatnot. Plus I was able to talk about specific places and food all the time, give suggestions for dates, things like that. 

Working with all kinds of people from kids with learning disabilities or others who honestly may just not want to cooperate has also been a good experience. To break ground with a student who seems resistent and become their friend just by opening up a conversation and straight-up talking… it’s not just the bond of a teacher and pupil but as a mentor/tutor, it’s as close as a friend and equal as possible. When a feels invested in using my time as well, they open up. Slowly picking away at those barriers - whether it’s educational or social or behavioral or something else entirely - and finally getting close to them to the point that they are comfortable telling me gossip of their lives or their realest hopes and dreams: Sometimes they come from such different walks of life than I do and it’s funny to swap perspectives on things. I love having comical back-and-forths with my students and I find it so fascinating. Maybe one day I’ll base a short on some of my students.

The interpersonal connections and being able to share stories with each other. I have very interpersonal relationships with my students - I feel very invested in my students, so even though my hope is eventually that I will go full-time into film, there are students I’ve known so long and we feel so invested in each other, I want to keep hearing what happens to them. I want to be involved in their stories. Even if I didn’t need to tutor at all, I’d like to make time to keep tutoring students I’ve had for a long time, partly just because we’ve made a bond. We have transcended straight-up teaching, that’s the great thing about being a one-on-one tutor and PCH Tutors really encourages that.

It’s also been very cool seeing the system PCH has set up with Simplifi EDU, seeing what’s possible for online tutoring.

What are some of your filmmaking goals?

Film is definitely the end goal for me. I’m saving funds now to make my first larger budget short by the end of the year and hopefully hit the festival circuit with that. I literally meet and have one-on-one interactions multiple times a day, whether it’s musicians or clients or tutors. I make tons of cold calls every day. Meeting and engaging with people and hearing stories from them helps me think and helps form better stories to tell. 

With your pre-med degree, is medical school still on the table?

Med school is still a back burner option - thanks to tutoring I’ve kept sharp on all my biology and chemistry skills all the time! I haven’t forgotten anything and honestly thanks to PCH Tutors I’m not scared of taking the MCAT.

You tutor online a lot. What do you like about your SimplifiEdu experience?

I’ve always loved working for PCH Tutors - in terms of a tutoring agency you can’t really ask for much better in terms of matching tutors/students and customization. I hope to continue working with my students even if I don’t need a second job because I feel fully invested in them. 

Online tutoring in the digital age and in my freelance life is awesome - it’s a really interesting path PCH Tutors is on. Simplifi EDU is essentially a virtual whiteboard, and you can import PDFs and all that. Simplifi EDU already has all the SAT books in PDF form just for that platform so it’s great having the online tutoring agency supply not just the tutor for the student but also the material and medium. Usually I have to ask the student for worksheets or whatever and this time we are prepared for everything in advance - everything at our fingertips to make sure the tutor and the student have the right gear and equipment to optimize that system. When students use Simplifi EDU they’re not just paying for a tutor, but for the system and study optimization as well. 

I actually do quite a lot of online tutoring outside of PCH Tutors as well and nobody has as thorough of a system to make sure a client is as happy as they can be. 

What’s a mantra you live by and like to share with your students?

Keep busy and make good use of your time because you’re not going to get that time back. It feels like I kept super busy in high school but I still look back and think, “Oh, I wish I had done more.” You will never look back and say you wish you didn’t take a risk or opportunity. 

Check out Derek’s work.