"Hello! I'm Erica, and I'm pursuing a BS in Teaching English at New York University. With a 97.1 GPA and 11 APs, I graduated from Stuyvesant - one of NYC's top specialized high schools - which I was admitted to with an SHSAT score of 626, so I am very proficient with the exam's material.

For the past 4 years I have been a volunteer tutor and director for Youth4AM, a virtual SHSAT prep program; thus, I have extensive experience directly teaching grades 6-8 as well as developing curricula. I am currently a volunteer coach for Cosmic Writers, a program providing mentorship to K-12 kids interested in creative writing. I have been writing poems for the past 3 years, maintaining a poetry portfolio not just with my finished works, but with previous versions and footnote annotations of my process and draft alterations. I believe that explicitly reflecting on how we write can be an extraordinary way to improve.

As for other excursions I've had with English, I have been published in Stuyvesant's literary magazine; volunteered as a Writing Center editor, editing my peers' academic essays and becoming Editor of the Month; been a two-time national speaker in competitive Speech & Debate; been an Honorable Mention in the Scholastic Art & Writing Poetry competition; and received a National Merit Finalist scholarship with an SAT score of 1580/1600.

The method I find most effective is bringing in hard questions, learning the concepts behind them, and redoing the questions to see that I can now solve them. For SHSAT tutoring, I plan to do this so that my students are motivated by seeing their progress within one lesson. For coaching poetry, I will mentor my students by communicating my interpretations and suggestions and teaching epiphanies that I've had while improving my own writing. Of course, if students have other preferred methods of learning, I am open to new ideas. Reach out if you have any questions or to schedule a session!" less...