PrepNow Tutor - Lisa R.
A patient and encouraging tutor, Lisa is a lifelong learner and enjoys helping her students reach their full potential. She graduated from the University of Miami with a BS in marine science and biology and from Oregon State University with an MS in general science. While in school, she was on the President’s List and the Dean’s List and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. For twelve years, Lisa was employed as a staff marine scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division at Science Applications International Corporation. Lisa continued to work on an as-needed basis for the corporation for six years as she raised her children. Since 2015, Lisa has been tutoring test prep professionally, preparing students for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT, and ISEE tests. She has also tutored algebra I, algebra II, and geometry, as well as precalculus math topics.
Lisa's interest in tutoring was sparked by her experience as a teaching assistant and laboratory and recitation instructor for general biology at Oregon State University. Additionally, she found she enjoyed working as a volunteer in the classroom at her children's school and as a teacher at Sunday school. When tutoring, Lisa loves engaging her students by asking about how school, sports, and other activities are going. She understands how challenging it is for them to balance their busy schedules and is always impressed by how motivated each student is to do well. She especially loves helping students work to achieve their goals and building a good rapport as they work towards a common goal.
When tutoring, Lisa is thorough, detail-oriented, and helps her students build confidence with her positive and encouraging tutoring style. She is also very flexible and adapts her lesson plans for her students’ needs and, when tutoring math, always explains alternate ways to solve problems to determine which method is easier for them to use. “I typically have a student explain their reasoning for an answer choice or how they approached a problem to ensure they understood the associated skill or to determine where they might be making a mistake,” Lisa says. She is thorough and sends the parents and students a detailed summary after each session, along with suggestions for extra practice and review.
In high school, Lisa played volleyball, basketball, and rec league softball. In college, she continued to play basketball for two years as a walk-on. Lisa loves marine life and was inspired by Jacques Cousteau when she was younger. “I loved when I had opportunities to do field work out at sea, though I did have a tendency to get seasick,” she shares. Lisa has run a marathon and several half marathons.
