PrepNow Tutor - Sunny A.
Sunny did not begin his collegiate career knowing he would become an educator. He holds a BS in computer science from California State University, Sacramento (graduating magna cum laude); while he was an undergraduate, he began tutoring his fellow computer scientists and developed a love for education. As such, since 2015, Sunny has worked both as teacher and tutor, even as he employs his own educational training to write code and develop apps.
Sunny has continued his own education, earning a certificate in web development from Northwestern University and an M.Ed. in elementary education from DePaul University. He has used this training to work with a plethora of students in numerous areas. Specifically, Sunny has taught math, history, science, information technology, and English in public schools, ranging from grade 4 to grade 10; he has privately tutored college students in computer science and calculus; he has tutored students in-person from K-12 in every area of math up to pre-calculus as well as in ACT test prep; and he has tutored math students online at every level from K-12. In short, his unique set of skills and experience are well-suited to engaging the wide array of StudyPoint students.
Indeed, Sunny was quickly engaged by his own learning and wanted immediately to pass on such joy to others. He says, “When I was first introduced to fractions in 2nd grade, I was extremely excited to help my neighbor and my best friend learn the concept.” The key, Sunny notes, to helping students is to prepare them for the rigors of all academic challenges. He compares the process to that of building a bridge: “If a student knows the steps in building a bridge (steps to solve a problem) but does not know which kind of cement is needed (fundamental background knowledge), then the student can never actually traverse an obstacle.” However, if he can provide students the recipe for the cement and can help determine with them the plans for the strongest possible bridge, the student can effectively drive right over any educational canyon they encounter. Metaphorical language aside, Sunny provides tools to empower students to solve future educational problems and does so by engaging them joyfully.
When he is not coding for fun, Sunny enjoys reading—he is a sci-fi buff. He also closely follows his favorite basketball teams, the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns. In addition, he can often be found, like many of us, mesmerized by a screen—in his case, laughing at the comedic stylings of many stand-up artists or being brought to the verge of tears by Oscar-winning films like Slumdog Millionaire and Oppenheimer.
