New York City Metro Area

New York City Faculty My Learning Springboard's faculty is comprised of top-notch educators at every level from private, public, and charter schools as well as colleges, universities, and subject matter experts in their respective industries. Our faculty is based in the NYC metro area, including parts of Westchester and Long Island. Other locations include Washington, DC metro area, Northwest DC, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, and Rockville, Maryland; and Palm Beach County, Florida, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Palm Beach. We are available for consultation, virtual tutoring and distance learning beyond these areas as well.

Michael Kandel

March 29, 2021

Michael Kandel is a private tutor who specializes in standardized test preparation and math at all grade levels.

Michael graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in economics and a minor in mathematics. While at Penn, Michael worked as a research fellow in the political science department and began privately tutoring students in economics, math, and writing courses. It was also at Penn that Michael began his comedy career, performing in clubs and theaters around Philadelphia. Now based in New York, he continues to perform standup comedy around the city and write scripts for independent productions. His comedy pilot appeared and placed in the iTV Festival, and his screenplays have placed in several competitions as well, most recently the Red & Blue Screenwriting Contest.

For the past three years, Michael Kandel has taught math SAT and SHSAT prep courses full-time, helping over 200 students significantly improve their scores and gain acceptance to top-ranked universities and New York City public high schools. Before that, he developed and taught an SAT prep course at AECI Charter School in the Bronx. Michael also has experience as a private tutor, helping students of all grade levels and learning types in math, English, and writing, including for college essays.

Michael is a friendly, laid-back tutor who maintains a light, comfortable, and focused environment for the student. He lets the student lead the way through each session, working on larger problem areas with targeted, digestible lessons. He takes great pride and joy in seeing his students grow and achieve results beyond their expectations.

When he isn’t tutoring or writing comedy, Michael enjoys playing basketball and watching movies. He takes no joy in supporting Philadelphia-based sports franchises, but tragically does so anyway.

Victoria Cho

March 29, 2021

Victoria Cho is a writer, private tutor, and workshop facilitator in New York City.

She is currently a Writing Consultant for CUNY (Baruch College and School of Labor and Urban Studies), where she supports undergraduate and graduate students with assignments ranging from literary analysis, research, capstones, to professional correspondence. Victoria’s experience working alongside social workers, teachers, and counselors inspires her strengths-based, student-centered approach when discussing a student’s writing process.

In addition, Victoria has extensive experience helping high school students with their college applications. She has helped students research colleges, track deadlines and materials, and write their college admissions essays. Past clients have gained admittance to Cornell University, Bard College, University of Minnesota, Trinity College Dublin, Pomona College, and University of Glasgow, among others.

Victoria has over eight years of experience working with high school students. She previously directed a career and college readiness program for juniors and seniors at a community-based organization in New York City. In this program, she helped students identify their passions and develop their interpersonal, academic, and executive functioning skills, which included supporting students with reading comprehension, AP exams (e.g. English Literature, English Language and Composition, US History) and SAT verbal preparation, and researching colleges. Victoria also gained experience working with students experiencing ADHD, processing challenges, anxiety, and depression.

Victoria holds a Bachelor’s from Boston University’s College of Communications, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She also holds a Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from University of New Orleans, where she received the Privateer Award.

Amanda Friedman

September 13, 2020

Amanda Friedman is currently a full time private educator who creates individualized lesson plans tailored to students interests and needs so they can reach their academic potential. Formerly, Amanda spent five years as a literacy specialist at Avenues: The World School at their New York Campus. She worked specifically with first and second grade students and coached classroom teachers in reading, writing workshops and the Orton-Gillingham Method. Prior to Avenues, Amanda spent eight years teaching public school in the Bronx. She began her career teaching fourth grade for four years and then taught as a special education teacher support services provider. While in this role, Amanda provided academic support and developed individualized education plans for students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.

During her time in the Bronx and at Avenues, Amanda mentored and coached younger teachers and formed close bonds with teachers, families and school staff. She learned how to reach all students regardless of the number of students in the class, by individualizing instruction and making every lesson as fun as possible.

Prior to her work in the Bronx, Amanda Friedman received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Social Work. She then earned her Master’s Degree in Childhood and Special Education and Literacy from Touro College. Additionally she has a certificate in early childhood ages birth through grade 2 and is trained in the Orton-Gillingham Method. She spent a summer teaching elementary school in South Africa and had 45 students in her class. Amanda truly enjoys teaching, which is always evident in her lessons.

Szasha Ozard

September 12, 2020

As a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University, Szasha Ozard draws on years of experience as a historian, Peace Corps volunteer, youth empowerment coach, certified Social Studies teacher, and research advisor to build confidence in her students and empower them to reach personal and academic success through private tutoring. She is passionate about bringing history alive by engaging with student interests and life experiences as a bridge to allow learners to draw meaningful connections between the past, themselves, and the modern world. Szasha works to help her students understand the events of the past and to achieve mastery of historical thinking and analytical writing skills. This allows learners to not only engage in the authentic work of historians and conduct successful research but to grow in their capacity as analytical global citizens.

Szasha Ozard holds a Master’s degree in the teaching of Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University and currently teaches 9th and 10th grade Global History as well as a 12th grade independent research seminar within the New York City Department of Education. She has taught in fully inclusive ICT special education classroom settings, differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), as well as in general education and advanced placement classrooms. She has vast experience preparing students to excel on the NYS Regents Exam in Global History and Geography as well as providing enrichment for advanced learners. Szasha guides 12th graders through a college level independent history research and writing seminar culminating in a final paper and school-wide presentation. Students are given the opportunity to respond to rigorous questions in defense of their research, modeling the process of researching, writing, and defending a history thesis at a college level.

As a 9th-12th grade advisor, Szasha Ozard also provides individualized socio-emotional and academic support. These supports include: coaching in study and organizational skills, assistance with strategies to improve executive functioning, and health and wellness check-ins focused on stress management and youth advocacy. She builds these same supports into her tutoring sessions.

Before becoming a Social Studies teacher, Szasha Ozard earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley, where she developed her passion for research — a passion she now works to foster in her students. After graduating, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English as a Foreign Language in the African nations of both Cape Verde and Mozambique. During her Peace Corps service, Szasha realized her calling for not only teaching, but youth empowerment. She brings both her global perspective and dedication to individual youth capacity building into her current teaching and tutoring practice.

In her free time, Szasha enjoys running, traveling, and working in her backyard organic vegetable garden. She has run several marathons and has trekked to both the base camp of Mount Everest and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. At home, Szasha spends as much time as possible training her exuberant Australian Shepherd puppy who is always eager to learn new tricks!

Erin Sauchelli Farrell

September 8, 2020

Erin Sauchelli Farrell graduated from Lafayette College with a BA in International Affairs and Spanish, and with honors from New York University with a dual MA in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and Teaching English as a Second Language. She draws on experience from her career in advertising and marketing, as well teaching different subjects and age levels, to help support students in language and literacy development. Erin loves to travel and spent several semesters abroad during her time in undergraduate and graduate school.

Erin spent 10 years teaching elementary age children in various districts across the New York City public school system, from Title 1 schools in Brooklyn, to high performing District 2 schools in Manhattan. As a private tutor, she brings her expertise in supporting children in literacy, phonics, and bridging language development with content area instruction to her practice. Erin is well versed in phonics instruction, specifically Wilson Fundations and Letterland. She believes in strong phonemic awareness as a foundation for reading as well as writing. She can support struggling readers and writers by diagnosing their areas of weakness and creating individualized programs to help them move forward. She also has experience with teaching across content areas, such as mathematics, science and social studies, and she loves to bridge the concrete to the abstract with manipulatives in math instruction. Erin believes in a strengths-based approach in her instruction, and spends time getting to know her students in order to foster confidence and motivation.

When Erin is not teaching, she enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors, whether on the golf course or ski slopes, and most of all, being with her dog – who may make an appearance during a virtual tutoring session!

New York City Metro Area

Michael Kandel

Victoria Cho

Amanda Friedman

Erin Sauchelli Farrell

Company Overview

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Private Tutoring

Test Preparation