Alison

Alison graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Fine Arts and receiving a rigorous and well-rounded education in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and bookmaking. In her sophomore year, she fell in love with the darkroom and graduated with a concentration in Photography. After her time at Cornell, Alison spent a few years teaching classes on digital photography and working in a photography lab. In 2010, she continued her education by earning a Masters of Fine Arts at Parsons School for Design, where she concentrated in photography and video. While at Parsons, she had the opportunity to work with freshman students in the darkrooms and computer labs, teaching the fundamental skills of photography and working with young artists to begin to find their voices.

Alison is most excited at the opportunity to work with students to build strong portfolios. When applying to undergraduate university fine art programs, she knew how important submitting a strong portfolio was and sought out mentorship and guidance from a teacher she met in her pre-college classes at Parsons. She remembers how daunting the differences between art school applications and traditional applications are and believes strongly in the benefit of working closely with someone to help with that process. From portfolio development to taking better photographs for Instagram, Alison loves helping students discover and refine their individual styles. 

We are absolutely delighted to have someone with Alison’s expertise on our team at Intelligentsia. It’s easy to focus on academic weaknesses and lose sight of the benefit students can find from working closely with a mentor to help inspire and refine their artistic pursuits as well. Too many schools lack adequate arts programs, and we believe that the best education is a well rounded one, in which students develop their creative minds alongside their intellectual pursuits.

In her own practice as an artist, Alison has garnered awards and residencies in France, Finland, and China. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has participated in the Beijing Design Festival, Pingyao International Photography Festival, and the Dail International Photo festival. She has also had the honor to study under the direction of Magnum photographer, Antoine D’Agata.

Baxter

Baxter graduated with a BSc in math from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After spending a year abroad teaching English as a Second Language, he went on to teach high school math for 5 years. He taught all levels, from Algebra to AP Calculus, but excelled at coaching his AP students. Baxter also has ample experience working one-on-one with students. At one point, he implemented a "flipped classroom", which means he would record lessons for his students to watch as homework, so that class time could be spent actively working together on problems. He's had quite a bit of experience with direct tutoring, going all the way back to university where he was a chemistry and math tutor for William & Mary's athletic department.

In 2015, Baxter left teaching for the nonprofit industry, where he utilized his rational/mathematical mindset to focus on quantitatively making the biggest possible impact with his skillset. Among other projects, he founded Students for High-Impact Charity, a project that ran workshops at high schools aiming to get students thinking about the most impactful actions and careers they could pursue. Aside from tutoring for Intelligensia, Baxter is currently working for an organization that runs educational radio programs in Nigeria helping women and families to be fully aware of their family planning options.

Baxter is a seasoned digital nomad. He currently lives and works remotely in Guanajuato, Mexico, his favourite city in the world, with his dogs Nacho and Squirrel. He loves exploring the various cultures of the world, eating amazing vegetarian food, going to the gym, and snuggling on the couch in the evening with his pups and a good TV show or videogame.

Brian

A cum laude graduate of UCLA, Brian has worked in education in a variety of capacities. He taught high school math and English in the first years of a charter  school. He also worked as an advisor and  instructor at a film school, developing the curriculum of the career services department, and he has privately tutored students over the course of his career. He considers himself a life-long learner and  accordingly places an emphasis on making the material he’s teaching relevant to students’ lives. Even in his leisure, Brian finds a way to stay involved in education—during his annual getaway to the  beautiful and renowned Telluride Film Festival, he works in the Student Symposium, a distinguished program for high school and college students.

Upon meeting Brian, I was immediately certain that Intelligentsia students would love working with him. His devotion to learning spills over into his teaching style. His commitment to fully understanding  the material he’s teaching enables him to efficiently and clearly teach a wide range of subjects to students of all levels. His confidence is contagious and his expectations high. Brian has a knack for bringing out the best in students by keeping them engaged, focused and on track.

In addition to his passion for movies, he loves books and basketball. A native Angeleno, he is a diehard fan of the Lakers, which isn’t very fulfilling these days.

Danielle

Danielle received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine, in atmospheric chemistry. She discovered her passion for chemistry and scientific research as an undergraduate at Reed College, kicked off by an opportunity one summer to make air quality measurements in the Rockies in Colorado. She immediately fell in love with the day to day aspects of field research including ad hoc problem-solving, moderate manual labor, and working outside, but more than that, she discovered the magic of asking and beginning to answer questions at the bounds of human knowledge. Of making hands-on observations and creatively applying theory learned in school to try to explain those observations. Whether or not someone wants to pursue research and push the limits of human knowledge as a career, science education teaches students how to ask critical questions about the universe we live in and gives them a toolbox to start to find the answers, which is an immensely valuable skill throughout life.

Between teaching chemistry as a graduate student and taking courses in high school and college, Danielle has seen a wide array of general chemistry curricula and therefore has resources to make topics engaging and relevant for a variety of learning styles. As a lifelong academic with some unique learning styles of her own, she understands the importance of finding your strengths and using those to help guide you through challenges. She also loves nothing more than developing creative story-telling approaches, (e.g. dancing her undergraduate chemistry thesis) in the hopes of dispelling the notion that you can only be good at science if you’re a left-brained, analytical thinker.

Danielle has a wonderful, thoughtful, calm, patient demeanor that helps students of all ages focus on the material and master a wide range of subjects and strategies with ease.

When she’s not in the lab or traveling to do science, Danielle enjoys playing on trapezes, wandering through cities with her camera, drawing, painting, and relaxing with good books.

David

David is an exceptional tutor who has worked with students at all grade levels. He is incredibly smart and passionate about learning and has a contagious sense of humor that Intelligentsia students can’t get  enough of, which is a breath of fresh air when wading through pages of math problems. Having graduated from the same university, Tracy and David share a common appreciation for independent thinking  and instilling our shared values in Intelligentsia students. He loves helping all  students not only excel, but also enjoy the learning process as much as he does.

David graduated cum laude from Tufts University, where he majored in International Relations. When he’s not tutoring, he’s busy playing softball, reading history books (seriously), baking ornate desserts for his wife or throwing his stepchildren around swimming pools.

Ileasa

Ileasa graduated from Bennington College with a degree in Liberal Arts and has been tutoring since 2008. Her approach to tutoring is to create an environment for students where learning is inspirational and empowering. Throughout her tutoring career, she has developed many techniques to create interactive lesson plans that make learning captivating and approachable. Her passion for education began after her undergraduate career when she had the opportunity to work with exceptional programs like Exploration Summer Programs at Yale University as well as The American Red Cross as a Nutrition Counselor. These experiences, along with tutoring privately, have given her the insight into simplifying material to make learning easier and fun!

Ileasa has taken her premedical science courses at both Boston University and Simmons College, and she is in the process of applying to medical school with a focus in global health. For Ileasa, teaching is an opportunity to help students build confidence when approaching challenges. She believes that using your own fears and weaknesses to overcome adversity in learning is an essential skill, not only for school, but also throughout life.

It was clear upon first meeting Ileasa that she is an ideal match for Intelligentsia families. She brings confidence, intelligence and an upbeat spirit to her teaching style that makes the learning process a truly enjoyable experience.

Julia

Julia graduated from Carleton College cum laude with a double major in English/Theater and a Film Studies concentration. She later studied Playwriting at Charles University in Prague before moving to sunny Los Angeles.

She is an award-winning short story author and has written professionally for film and television. Language and narrative have been lifelong passions of hers that she delights in sharing with others, both through her own creative work and through teaching and tutoring. She taught in an afterschool tutoring program in Chicago, tutored students privately, and has volunteered as an adult literacy tutor.

In addition, she has taught gymnastics, circus arts, and theater classes, with a focus on performance and storytelling. Helping her young students push through their self-perceived limits is always deeply rewarding.

We are lucky to have Julia on the Intelligentsia team. She brings passion and expertise as well as a youthful, fun energy to all the subjects she tutors and ensures that all her students not only master the material, but also have a blast along the way.

Julia recently took up ballet and tap; she really wishes she had started at three like everybody else, but it’s still fun a few decades later. She is also an avid hip-hop fan and is always ready to hear your Top Five.

Kirzia

Kirzia grew up in New York and New Jersey, and although she loves math, she will continue rooting for the Knicks. She studied Economics at Boston University, which launched her career spanning from NY to LA, mainly focusing in Operations and Finance for large global companies in the Entertainment and Tech industries. Currently, she is interested in the non-profit sector and bettering her community by working with children and sports. She has been tutoring since high school and particularly loves finding out how students process information to help them grasp topics. As a basketball player, Kirzia loves teamwork and figuring out students’ strengths so they can nail their shots. She uses her different areas of expertise to make learning accessible and fun for everyone.

Lindsey

Lindsey graduated from UC San Diego in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and dance. Upon commencement, she jumped directly into the world of education gaining employment at the Boys and Girls Club of East Palo Alto as an English tutor and dance coach. Shortly after her time at BGCP, Lindsey joined Teach for America to work as a special education English teacher for two years. Her time in the classroom taught her to navigate a diverse range of learning differences and develop the scaffolding skills necessary to make knowledge accessible to all her students. While teaching, Lindsey was simultaneously enrolled at Loyola Marymount University to receive a masters degree in Special Education, which she was awarded in 2012.

While many of her post college years were spent in the educational sector, Lindsey also spent over five years performing as a freelance aerialist. She was lucky enough to find opportunities that allowed her to travel across North America as well as many destinations in Europe and Asia. This work helped her to understand the importance of resiliency, flexibility (literally and figuratively), and patience which are also skills she tries to incorporate in her tutoring. Flying through the air is Lindsey’s favorite pastime, but her other greatest joys include playing fetch with her pup, hula hooping on the beach and helping kids write a killer 5 paragraph essay.

Milan

Milan is originally from Portland, OR. While studying at the University of Washington in Seattle, he earned two separate degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in English. His tutoring experience is expansive. He has been a writing consultant for undergraduate and graduate students, worked with middle school students in all subjects, coached ACT and SAT preparation for high school students, and even spent time tutoring ESL students from China in English. He has worked in many one-to-one teaching environments as well as group tutoring.

As a lifelong, multi-disciplinary student, Milan understands how difficult it is for students to deal with a subject they just don’t understand. Often, hard work and long hours can lead to frustration just as much as they lead to success. This is why Milan believes a helping hand can encourage students and motivate them to try harder. Milan believes that being a good tutor requires both competence of the subject as well as empathy for a student’s strengths and weaknesses. Paying attention to a student’s needs and making the learning environment fun and engaging are Milan’s strategies for helping students reach their potential.

On a day off, you can catch Milan exercising, cooking, spending time with friends, or performing comedy.

Nick

Nick grew up in New York, and has loved math for as long as he can remember. By the time he graduated from high school, he had already taken Calculus I, II, and III, as well as linear algebra, and couldn’t wait to continue his mathematics education in college. He graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a Bachelors of Arts in mathematics before pursuing a PhD in mathematics at Binghamton University. As a PhD student, he taught a broad range of undergraduate mathematics courses, from elementary statistics to vector calculus and differential equations. He has also led SAT and ACT prep courses for a national tutoring center, and has worked one-on-one with students in various high school and college math courses. 

As much as Nick enjoys teaching higher-level courses and working with experienced math students, he finds it even more rewarding to work with students who consider math one of their weaker or least favorite subjects. The core principle guiding Nick‘s approach to tutoring is that every students can forge a pathway towards understanding mathematics when instruction is personalized to appeal to their individual strengths and passions. He has seen students who, in their own words, “couldn’t do math” evolve from failing exams to earning B’s and A’s, all by presenting the material to them in ways that matched their learning styles–ways that they had never seen in school.

In his spare time, Nick enjoys playing tennis, playing the piano, and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Nicole

Nicole has been a teaching artist since 2011 and tutoring in the Los Angeles area since 2019. She strives to find the balance of providing an engaging education and having fun with students. After graduating from Chapman University with a BFA in Theatre Performance, Nicole found an immense amount of joy teaching for several theatre companies around the country, including Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, and of course, her home state of California. Her theatre and acting background created the foundational curriculum for poetry, communication, and behavioral classes for kinder to high school students. She later received her MFA in Acting from UC San Diego, where she taught Public Speaking, Acting, and Intro to Theatre, and was awarded the Teaching Assistant Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Instruction. Since then she has taught as a guest lecturer at UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and New York Film Academy (Los Angeles). 

During the pandemic Nicole pivoted to private tutoring and pod teaching, where she primarily worked with students from 1st grade to high school levels. Her focus has always been to help students feel more confident in all subjects, and relate learning new or difficult things to what they are already interested in as young people. She loves to bring games and story-telling into any assignment, and cannot wait for a student's "lightbulb" moment. 

Norianne

Norianne, a SoCal native, graduated from UCLA with her PhD in physiology, concentrating in Neuroscience. Norianne's PhD dissertation investigated the processes by which cone photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina detect light and transduce electrical signals for the brain to interpret. She then went to University of Washington (UW) in Seattle to further pursue research in Vision Science. She is currently transitioning out of Academia and moving into private sector roles. 

Norianne has worked as a private science and math tutor since she was in high school. She has taught college-level science courses since 2011. During her masters at UCLA, she earned a Distinguished TA Award. She has taught human physiology for UCLA Extension, Mount Saint Mary's University and UW. 

To maintain a balanced lifestyle, she makes sure to stay active, dabbles in several art media and travels as time allows. She also has a special relationship with animals and considers her house rabbit and parrot to be part of her family and key to her success.

Rachel

Rachel graduated from MIT with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She spent the last seven years working as a quality engineer at Edwards Lifesciences developing transcatheter heart valve replacement and repair devices. Her experience in this role allowed her to use her expertise in engineering, along with skills in technical writing, to create life saving technology. Rachel has a great deal of experience working with teams of engineers and manufacturers, and understands how to communicate her ideas and knowledge to a wide range of people to produce the best results.

In addition to her engineering background, Rachel has both a creative and athletic outlet in performing and teaching circus arts. She has several years of experience coaching gymnastics, acrobatics, and aerial arts to both children and adults. Rachel helps her students find success by paying close attention to each person’s strengths, weaknesses, and individual needs, and by creating a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable environment for learning. She is very invested in the progress of her students and understands that regardless of subject matter, whether physical or intellectual, there are many different approaches to learning that will help each individual student reach his or her highest potential.

Rachel loves to share her knowledge and passion for learning with others. She is excited to draw upon her experiences as a tutor, in addition to her time in the workforce, as a member of the Intelligentsia team. We’re thrilled to have someone with her wide range of intellectual, creative and interpersonal expertise onboard and know that Intelligentsia families will be in the best of hands with her at the helm.

As a Jersey Shore native and a California resident, Rachel loves to spend her spare time near the ocean with her family and friends. She is also a huge animal lover and recently adopted two cats of her own from a local rescue.

Rebecca

Rebecca is an enthusiastic and creative tutor who has worked for many years with students in a variety of capacities, including developing and leading lessons on health and environmental responsibility in the Dominican Republic, working as a counselor at children’s summer camps, serving as an after-school mentor and tutor for elementary school students, and providing enrichment and instruction at children’s fitness centers.

As a tutor, Rebecca specializes in supporting students with Math through Algebra 2, English studies through the AP level, all levels of writing, History through the AP level, and Screenwriting and Filmmaking. In addition to content support, Rebecca coaches Executive Functioning, ISEE test prep on all levels, and SAT and ACT test prep.

Rebecca fully credits her education to opening doors for her and infuses that same passion and dedication to learning in her work with her students. She believes learning should be fun and conducive to a student’s strengths and uses her multi-disciplinary background to give her students the tools that fit their personalities and learning styles.

Rebecca began her educational journey studying engineering at Columbia University in New York City before transferring to USC to study film and writing. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Cinematic Arts Critical Studies from the University of Southern California, where she then went on to earn a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen and Television. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys dancing, acting, storytelling, and is currently working on getting a feature film made as the writer/director/actor.

Rob

We are absolutely delighted to have Rob on the Intelligentsia team! He has just the right fun personality you need in an awesome tutor, whether he’s helping you tackle difficult math and science material or teaching you the skills you need to master those pesky standardized tests.

Rob began tutoring advanced mathematics and physics at the college level in 2015, as he continued his own studies in those subjects. He tutors all levels of math and physics as well as standardized tests and continues to teach his own courses as a Supplemental Instructor in topics like Ordinary Differential Equations, Vector Calculus, Advanced Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. He plans to earn his Ph.D in Cosmology or Astrophysics, and his ultimate goal is to become a physics professor.

His motivation to teach stems from his general passion for multidisciplinary life-long learning, and he aims to excite students to do the same. His teaching method accentuates connections between disciplines that makes students see the reasons topics of science matter at a larger perspective, and this helps students observe that pursuing these careers can be world-changing.

In his free time, Rob enjoys hiking, reading science fiction, and currently,  learning computer languages.

Sanjay

Hailing from the great state of Texas, Sanjay is a graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. His love for teaching came through another one of his passions, martial arts. He has been practicing and teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to students of all ages since 2012. This is where his passion for teaching came to life.

Sanjay’s approach to teaching is one of tailoring instruction to the needs of the student. His infectious humor and enthusiasm have led to countless students not only improving in their subject but also enjoying the journey. Marrying the discipline learned from the martial arts with his background in the sciences, Sanjay is able to cultivate a creative atmosphere where students learn to enjoy the process.

When he’s not helping students with their math and science homework or on the mats practicing martial arts, you can see him performing comedy or enjoying the great outdoors on the beach or hiking in the mountains.

Scott

After earning a B.A. in English from the Ohio State University, Scott went on to teach Freshman Composition at Auburn University. Despite enjoying teaching at the university level, he decided to pursue a career teaching at the secondary level. While working in a public school in the Special Education department helping students with various learning and social challenges, he earned his teaching certificate and an M.A. in Secondary Education from Lehigh University. Since 2012, he has been tutoring students in all grades. He has helped elementary and secondary students with their math, reading and writing skills, prepared them for the independent school and college entrance exams, and assisted college students in writing literary analysis essays. Scott and his wife moved back to Pennsylvania in 2018 so their two children could live near their grandparents and many cousins.  While he is thrilled to be a stay-at-home dad, he missed working with students very much, so he tutors remotely on the weekends during the school year.

We are thrilled to have Scott on our team. It was clear immediately that he would be a perfect fit for Intelligentsia families. Scott exudes a magnetic love of learning and knows how to make it personally meaningful and interesting for students of all ages. He is also a human sponge of knowledge. When I first met Scott, he said he only needs to see material once to retain it. Obviously, I had to put this to the test, and sure enough, he proved this uncanny ability to pick up and hold onto new concepts with remarkable ease. What’s even more significant is Scott’s ability to instill that same confidence and enthusiasm in his students.

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Scott spends all day with his two adorable boys, an elementary schooler and a preschooler, When he's not with the boys, he's taking care of household chores and exercising, and after they go to bed, he spends time with his wife playing games or watching tv. 

Sophie

Sophie is a language nerd originally from Ohio. She graduated Summa cum laude from the University of Ohio with majors in Political Science and Mandarin and a minor in Video Production. In high school she began tutoring as a math tutor for a family friend and hasn’t stopped since. . In college she tutored high school students in Mandarin at Kent State Regents-STARTALK Foreign Language Academy and elementary students in English as a Second Language during her year abroad in Hangzhou, China. After graduating in 2020, Sophie jumped into the virtual learning world as an AmeriCorps member with City Year LA. There she expanded her knowledge of Math, Science and Standardized Test Prep instruction. She currently works as a Mandarin immersion teacher at New World Montessori School. As a passionate learner, Sophie uses play and storytelling to engage students in learning. Her vast experience provides her with the skills to adapt lessons to each student’s needs and preferences. In her free time you can find her singing, playing soccer or watching k dramas!

Stuart

Originally from San Francisco, Stuart has been a private tutor since 2008. He began as a senior at Piedmont High School in the Bay Area, working with younger students and continued as a tutor while attending the University of California Berkeley. He went on to graduate early in the fall of 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics. Since moving to Los Angeles, Stuart has continued to work with children and young adults in math, Spanish, science, and test prep.

Stuart is exactly the type of tutor we value at Intelligentsia. His passion for education is infectious. He truly enjoys guiding students down the road to academic discovery, and his ability to relate the importance of the subject matter - combined with his relaxed, charming demeanor - provide a comforting learning environment for his students.

When Stuart isn’t tutoring, he spends his time performing comedy, playing soccer, and cycling all over Los Angeles.

Wouter

Wouter decided to follow his passion for teaching and change careers to become a physics teacher after working corporate jobs for many years.

After several years of teaching and private tutoring in The Netherlands, he moved his family to Southern California. He is currently putting himself through the U.S. college and university system to  experience what his students will be facing and to gain a better understanding of the teaching landscape here. His passion for physics, and science in general, shows in his teaching and tutoring. His  thorough grasp of the material enables him to explain difficult concepts and help his students excel.

Wouter is exactly the kind of tutor we seek at Intelligentsia. He is not only intelligent and passionate about the material he tutors, but also devoted to instilling those qualities in his students.

Having worked in the corporate world, as well as at the opposite end of the spectrum, as a SCUBA dive master in the Caribbean, Wouter brings a wide range of life experiences to his teaching style that students find both interesting and inspiring.