BFA, Drama and Literature, New York University
English-language reading and writing coach 7th grade & up, AP English, entrance essays, all assignments using words.
Areas of focus
English-language academics, grammar and composition 7th grade-grad school
Reading coach for the resentful or fearful
Writing coach for the expert and novice
Application essay & personal statement coach
AP Modern World History, class and exam
SAT & PSAT Reading/Writing sections
ACT English/Reading/Writing/Science sections
AP Literature/AP Language and Composition, class and exam
Background
BFA, Drama & Literature, Tisch School, New York University
Tutored for over 1000 families in Los Angeles since 1997
Former tutor-trainer for Ivy West Educational Services
Recent outcomes
Literature and History | University High Irvine | Academic Decathlon 2026 National Finalist
AP World History Modern Class | 10th grade | Notre Dame High | Grade: C → A
University Admission essays | 12th grade | North Hollywood High | Accepted to Princeton
Graduate School Admission essays | Working professional | Accepted to NYU Stern
AP Literature Exam | 12th grade | San Clemente High | AP Score: 5
Approach
The first thing a student can sense is insincerity. I’m both interested and far less excited than family. If you’re flunking English or History or Psychology because you can’t comprehend the material, or if you can read it but writing papers is a mystery, or you can write but not timed or in-class under pressure, almost universally the issue is simple practice. In the long term, find out what you do like and start reading about it. A book about basketball, science fiction, a love story. Today, show me any book in English and I’ll show you how to read it one word at a time instead of skimming and not really getting it. Show me a writing assignment and I’ll show you how to start it, how to rewrite it 100 times, and how to know when you’re finished. But it all begins with a confident reader.
Q&A
A resource you’d hand a curious student?
Fowler’s Modern English Usage to find out what “standard English” means; Arguably by Christopher Hitchens to see what an excellent essay looks like in modern English
The mistake you see most often?
Misreading the question is a close second to abandoning deductive reasoning. Picking among answer choices is a terrible alternative to trying to answer the question yourself first, then matching your answer to the choices in a process of elimination.
What you look for in a good-fit student?
Whether they are still on camera when the lesson is over
What parents or students get wrong about prep?
Less is more in terms of homework. Closely reading 5 pages and summarizing each page in 1 or 2 sentences is superior to reading 10 pages and writing a 1 paragraph summary.