Laurie Soherr is a devoted educator, specializing in one-on-one instruction. She uses her teaching ability, and desire to encourage others, to motivate classes, small groups, and individuals alike. She is driven by her ability to create fun, customizable lessons which build confidence, skills, and knowledge for her students.
Laurie Soherr earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Early Childhood Education from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. For the next ten years, she led her own public-school classrooms in first, second, and third grades in Loudoun County, VA.
After moving to Maryland, Laurie chose to teach small groups through a local tutoring center. She then received professional teacher status as an instructor for the Institute for Excellence in Writing. While continuing her skill development, Laurie was exposed to a variety of structured literacy curricula. She is trained in the Bowman’s Orton-Gillingham Plus program, using a multisensory approach for neurodiverse students. She has applied the principles of the teaching methodology to provide tutoring with a multisensory approach to teach foundational mathematics concepts. In Montgomery County, MD, Laurie has collaborated with teachers trained in different reading programs and has aligned the content to ensure that the tutoring is complementary to what is being taught in the classroom. Building her knowledge of the Science of Reading while working with public, private, and homeschool students, Laurie saw a theme in education: students, no matter what they are learning, will benefit from diving deep and having fun!
For the past four years, and while transitioning to remote learning, Laurie has been instructing students with dyslexia using the O-G approach. Additionally, Laurie has completed continuing education courses in executive functions, cognitive connections, and social thinking. As the scientific community reveals more about the learning process, Laurie leverages that knowledge to improve her own lessons and approach.
In her spare time, Laurie enjoys adventures with her husband from metal detecting or fishing to traveling and antiquing. At home, she has a variety of craft interests including soap making and felt art. Laurie and her husband live in Poolesville, Maryland with their Treeing Walker Coonhound.
Olivia Keenan is a Senior Research Assistant at Weill Cornell Medicine where she is researching the relationship between urban forestry, heat-related health outcomes, and environmental justice. She has experience tutoring in the humanities and sciences and is therefore happy to help with the verbal sections of standardized tests such as the ACT, SHSAT, and ISEE. As a recent college graduate, Olivia remembers what it is like juggling a busy schedule with schoolwork! So, she is also happy to help students with developing better studying and time management skills.
With over two decades woven into the rich tapestry of journalism and international communications, Myrna Domit integrates substantive expertise in strategic communication and innovative storytelling into every project she touches. Her career path has not only traversed crucial roles within internationally recognized organizations but also involved on-the-ground work with NGOs in diverse and often tumultuous environments, including Haiti and the Middle East.
From a young age, Andres Parra has felt a desire to save lives in the medical field, enamored by the complex imaging machines and human anatomy figures he saw in the classroom and at the doctor’s office. As he grew up, he found he also had a penchant for mathematics, a skill strongly fostered by both of his parents who are proud engineers. As a result of all this, Andres has found a passion for Biomedical Engineering, the perfect blend of math, engineering, design, and biology, which he currently studies at Johns Hopkins University as a Senior.