PrepNow Tutor - Jose N.
A Latinx artist and performer who loves math and science, Jose considers himself a lifelong learner. He holds a BA in dance and theater from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in dance studies from Mills College, where he also earned several credits toward a business degree. Jose was primarily a student from 2010 to 2020 while working a variety of jobs, from mentoring students in a farm-to-table summer camp to teaching ballet. In 2021, Jose pivoted his career toward education and worked as a teaching assistant for financial and managerial accounting courses. In addition to tutoring test prep, he is currently entering a year-long assignment with AmeriCorps as a Math Fellow, supporting high school students in their mathematics courses.
Jose, a native Spanish speaker, discovered his love for teaching in high school when he volunteered at a parent center and offered childcare and homework help. As a senior, he was trained as a peer tutor and tutored fellow high school students in math and science up to the advanced levels. “By the time I applied to college, I felt that being a teacher would be fulfilling since I loved helping students make important connections to their real world and feel confident about what they are learning,” Jose explains. Even throughout his time in dance studies, he continued to tutor and found opportunities to expand his capacities as an educator.
“My teaching style is centered on the ‘students as teachers’ modality, where my students help inform and guide the learning environment they should ultimately play an active part in,” Jose says. “This also means that I take different learning styles into consideration and am receptive to new ways of teaching if it's what is best for the students I am working with.” He always sets clear expectations for his students and remains open to exploring new approaches and methods to help them learn difficult concepts, while also showing compassion for all the challenges in their lives.
In high school, Jose participated in cross country, track and field, wrestling, dance team, theater, and the calculus club he created his senior year. In college, he was a dedicated dance athlete, training up to forty hours per week at the height of rehearsal season. He also performed, designed, and worked as a crew member of many theater productions and joined a fraternity his junior year. Jose enjoys discovering new music, imagining choreography in his head, coloring while watching cartoons, going on hikes with friends, and taking trips to the beach. “Of course, I love to dance every chance I get,” he adds.
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