"I started to struggle in school in 9th grade. I had always been the “smart kid” and suddenly I had no idea what was going on in class. It was a tutor that really helped me turn things around! Upon entering college I took an interest in “learning how to learn” and how to really succeed in school, and learned a lot through books, blogs and articles and I love helping other students learn these valuable skills!

I have a bachelors degree in physiology and developmental biology and a masters in cell biology both from Brigham Young University, receiving a GPA of 3.9 during my masters and completing a thesis on utilizing leucine zippers and FRET probes as a novel diagnostic tool. During my undergraduate work I was also the recipient of an undergraduate research award scholarship based on my performance in class and research work. I am currently a PhD candidate in molecular pharmaceutics at the University of Utah. Throughout both my undergraduate education and my masters degree I tutored students in a wide array of scientific topics including various beginner and advanced chemistry and biology courses as well as introductory physics. I've had the opportunity to work with dozens of students for a combined ~300 hours to help them get through a tough course and learn how to succeed in them in the future.

The reason I tutor is to see the light come on in a students eyes when they finally grasp a difficult concept. I have felt it myself and there’s nothing like it! One of my key principles in tutoring is to weave learning how to learn in with the subject material. I've also found it makes a huge difference when students can see a real application of their material. As a PhD student in molecular pharmaceutics I regularly apply principles of chemistry and biology to design better drugs to target cancer in new and novel ways. Sharing stories from my work and others I hope to show students what's possible through application of their foundational coursework and get them excited about it!" less...