"Hi! I'm Courtney (she/her), a PhD student in the field of biomedical informatics at Columbia University (where I also earned my coterminal MA and MPhil in the field). I previously attended MIT, earning a BS in both biology and political science. I’m passionate about teaching and tutoring, and would love to use my skills and experience to help you build your knowledge and confidence in whatever subject you’re pursuing.

I knew I enjoyed teaching as early as high-school, where I acted as an informal tutor for many classmates in my AP Biology and AP Calculus A/B classes. Since then, I’ve been an undergraduate TA for two biology classes at MIT, and a graduate TA for courses in statistics and research methods at Columbia. I also taught a month-long intensive statistics course for incoming freshman students through Columbia’s Academic Success Program. Across each of these experiences, I’ve learned how to effectively teach both course content and the problem-solving strategies needed to apply that knowledge.

While I’ve had plenty of teaching experience, I’ve also had my fair share of academic struggles—and I truly believe I’m a better tutor for it. I understand what it’s like to be in a class where, despite my best efforts, material simply doesn’t make sense, and hours of YouTube videos were overwhelming and unhelpful. In some cases, it felt like I didn’t even know how to ask for help, because I didn’t know where to begin. In these classes, I was so lucky to have TAs who saw that I was struggling with topics as they were previously taught, and went out of their way to find examples and analogies that made sense to me. Since then, I’ve always aimed to be that kind of tutor and mentor: the one who helps students figure out what they know, what they don’t know, learns the way their brain thinks, and works with them to chart a path for success that’s tailored to their needs.

If you’re interested in learning more or setting up a session, please don’t hesitate to reach out!" less...