I first started tutoring when I was 10; I'd explain new words in books to my little sister and help her with cursive, work on times tables with my older brother, and teach the little bit of English I knew to my immigrant parents. I tutored students in my middle school through a counseling program, helped deaf and disabled students develop social and creative skills, and freelance tutored throughout high school, and have tutored Spanish-speaking immigrant families (ages 6-12) in Durham, NC since October 2018. Other teaching experiences include training my dog to go down a slide on command and teaching my 10th-grade precalculus teacher how to hand whistle. I believe reading and writing are not only complex forms of thinking, but avenues for understanding someone else's unique perspective and ways of being in life. I have the most fun helping my students dissect arguments and meaning from texts, especially when it's in Spanish, my native language. When I'm not tutoring, I most likely am listening to music, playing board games with my family, or looking at cat videos online.

I have a passion for music, nature, and self-help/mindfulness. I've played the piano for almost 13 years now and started making beats on my laptop with my best friend last year. I spend an obscene amount of time on Spotify and thoroughly enjoy figuring out peoples' personalities based on their music taste. I also love going to concerts, especially when they're cheap. I've been getting more into hiking lately, mainly because it's the best way to see (and, thus pet) a ridiculous amount of puppies. Studying psychology has led me to practice mindfulness often and enjoying the present moment. I've researched habit-building and emotional hygiene a lot and try to incorporate my knowledge of self-development into my own life and into helping others. I'm also not bad at dancing or ping pong and am planning on fostering one or two kittens next year.