PrepNow Tutor - Jessica G.
The first person in her extended family to go to college, Jessica has always loved school and the education process. "I was one of those kids who sat at home wishing summer would end so I could get back in the classroom!" she says.
As an undergraduate in biology at the California Institute of Technology, Jessica sought out teaching opportunities wherever possible. "I even convinced a professor to let me work as a teaching assistant my junior year, when this was normally reserved for seniors," she remembers. "He said he needed people with my 'gusto.'" The role included teaching new material and running laboratory experiments. She continued as a teaching assistant through her undergraduate program and through her master's in molecular and cell biology at the University of Colorado. She was recognized in graduate school with a spot on a National Institutes of Health Training Grant, reserved for the most academically promising students.
Jessica has been tutoring for nearly a decade, working with students at every academic level from elementary-age through college. She has tutored subjects ranging from biology, chemistry and physics to algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus, as well as test prep. She has worked with tutoring centers as well as privately. She worked for a year as an outreach scientist, visiting middle- and high-school classrooms two days a week to give presentations on the human immune system and cancer biology. She has also completed all of the necessary courses for a teaching license in secondary science instruction and needs only to finish student teaching.
"I love helping students tackle topics that once seemed impossible," she says. Outgoing and energetic, Jessica believes students respond well to her positive energy and gain a more positive "can-do" attitude toward their coursework. "I like to show the students that learning can be fun," she says, "even when they thought it was the most boring or difficult subject they've even encountered."
By teaching students how to learn, in addition to teaching specific content skills, Jessica sets them up for academic success in college and beyond. Having applied to top-tier schools and having attended a top-rated university, Jessica would love to share her perspective with students who are on a similar path.
Jessica is proud of her accomplishments as a tutor, helping students reach important and difficult goals. One of her students was told she would never complete the coursework in time to graduate from high school. After working with Jessica two to three times each week, the student did graduate, with Jessica there to cheer her on. Another student needed to improve his ACT score or lose a substantial athletic scholarship. After taking the exam three times on his own, he came to Jessica. She realized that he was unfamiliar with some basic algebra principles, and they spent a lot of time working on math. His practice test scores improved dramatically, and he was confident on test day. His score improved by several points, and he was able to get his scholarship.
In high school, Jessica was the president of the speech and debate team, spending most of her free time and weekends competing in Lincoln-Douglas debate. In her senior year, she was ranked in the top 5 in the nation. "I still enjoy reading philosophy and debating current topics," she says. "I have always been and will always be an avid reader." President of her school's National Honor Society, Jessica worked as a volunteer at the local hospital. She also played flute in her high-school marching band and symphony orchestra and continues to play the flute and piano, when she has the time!
In the past several years she has taken on photography as a hobby. "I love experimenting with new lenses and learning how to use editing software," she says. A committed mother to three young children, she often volunteers at their preschool.
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