PrepNow Tutor - Keyla C.
Keyla has several years of experience working with elementary learners in reading, writing, and foundational math skills; additionally, she has helped demystify high school algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, chemistry, and physics for high school and undergraduate students of various backgrounds and abilities. Having cared for an older sister with autism and worked with special needs communities, Keyla is highly adaptable and attentive to individual communication and learning styles.
She earned a BS in psychology from Boston College and an MS in biomedical science from Tufts University, where she completed her master’s thesis in late 2025. At BC, she was on the pre-med track and acted as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab, where she trained new lab members. After completing didactic graduate courses in May 2025, she applied to medical school and began working as a medical assistant at APDerm, a role that has strengthened her ability to clarify complex information and encourage others.
Her first taste of teaching was as a CCD catechist (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine), a role that introduced her to classroom dynamics and the importance of patience and structure. She later worked as a one-on-one aid with students who have learning differences, including epilepsy and autism; the experience taught her how to tune into students’ emotional states, adapt, and communicate more effectively.
“My proudest moment was stepping into a bilingual pre-K classroom during the final weeks of the school year after a teacher left for maternity leave, learning the students’ routines and helping them feel stable and supported during a major transition,” she recalls.
Keyla opts for an interactive and student-centered approach in her tutoring. “I like to encourage students to explain their thought process so I can understand how they are approaching a problem, regardless of whether their answer is correct,” she explains. She aims to guide students to the “why” behind particular concepts to foster long-term learning. “I also emphasize learning through mistakes and guided practice, because understanding why something is wrong is often just as important as knowing the right answer,” she adds. Her patience, diligence, and tenacity help motivate reluctant learners or students who are easily overwhelmed by the learning process. “As the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college student in the U.S., I learned early on the importance of persistence and self-discipline,” she concludes.
Her hobbies include knitting, lifting/running, and playing the piano. “I've played the piano for 8 years and discontinued in high school, but during college, I took a class where I relearned it and have since made it a point to learn a new piece every year,” she shares.
Fun fact: she makes balloon animals! “I got scared of a clown at my birthday party, and they could only coax me out from under a table by promising to show me how to make balloon animals,” she mentions. She loves flaunting this unique skill to friends—a dermatologist she works with even hired her to make balloon animals at her child’s birthday party last year.
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