Nicollette Barsamian holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. She graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University with a BA in English Literature and minors in Modern Greek and Art History. She also graduated from Stuyvesant High School. She teaches all subjects and tests relating to English, Reading, Writing, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She also has extensive experience as a writing coach supporting students with school and college essays.
Born in Manhattan and raised in Forest Hills, Queens, Nicollette Barsamian is a life-long New Yorker. For the past year, she has worked at a CUNY Writing Center at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) helping students in back-to-back one hour sessions editing and shaping essays. She helps students see the material they once struggled with in a clear light. Ironically, the Writing Center overlooks her old high school, Stuyvesant, in TriBeCa. It was particularly rewarding working with students at a community college as they prepared to transition to four year colleges. Nicollette often works with students who have language barriers or who need remedial academic instruction while also working with students who excel and need enrichment (often in the same day!). As a high scoring standardized test taker, Nicollette enjoys teaching students strategies to improve their speed and accuracy.
Nicollette Barsamian is also a private tutor, both in person and virtually. She has assisted hundreds of students since 2012. Her first tutoring position was in Seoul, South Korea during the summer before her senior year at Barnard College. While there, she taught classes as well as individual tutoring sessions to students whose first language was not English. Since then, she has loved being able to use her tools and skills to assist students to hone their strengths and help them with their weaknesses. She continues to work with international students via Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime. Nicollette has worked with public school students, students in specialized public high schools, private preparatory school students, and boarding school students.
Nicollette Barsamian is a copyeditor and writer for the Queens Gazette, a local community newspaper. In 2013, she created and continues to write a weekly interview series called Local Express in which she interviews people with a Queens connection doing awesome things. She loves the opportunity to connect with all types of people through these interviews. Additionally, she is a freelance copywriter and editor who has also worked with The Source, the oldest hip-hop magazine in the country. During her free time, Nicollette hosts a weekly Writing Circle which meets both in person and virtually through Zoom. By providing writing prompts, Nicollette facilitates an opportunity for both seasoned and novice writers to expand their style and commit to weekly content creation. She also is an avid reader who partially credits her success in academia to her love for reading. Nicollette also enjoys participating in and facilitating book clubs, because she herself is enriched by discussing the books she reads. Nicollette loves a good open mic and can be seen reading her poetry throughout the city.
Jessica McLaren is passionate about advocating, educating, and helping individuals with learning disabilities and ADHD. Jessica has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Marist College and a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City. Jessica works one-on-one as a program aide with students with autism and other visible and invisible disabilities at a private school in Maryland. As a 
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