Test Preparation (ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT, SHSAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT) Archives

Matthew Serra

August 29, 2015

Matthew Serra

Matthew Serra is a private tutor, former Spanish teacher, ethnomusicologist, audio engineer, and flamenco guitarist. Matthew currently resides in Sevilla, Spain, where he studies flamenco guitar at Artes Escénicas Rebollar, a premier flamenco academy. He holds a Master of Arts in Music from Durham University, from which he graduated with distinction, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Pittsburgh. Matthew also holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music and Spanish (summa cum laude, Allegheny College), and Music Technology (City College, CUNY). Matthew has carried out research projects on the relationship between flamenco performers’ identity and personal style, flamenco’s cultural/musical/literary heritage, and the effects of specific reinforcement schema on target language use and motivation in the foreign language classroom.

Matthew loves the opportunity to work directly with students of all ages and levels. He is enthusiastic about using the tutoring relationship as a medium for helping students to become the versions of themselves they most want to be. Matthew is experienced in teaching Spanish, English, executive function coaching (organizational and study skills), test preparation, creative writing, and even guitar, but he is also passionate about teaching math, science, language arts, and elementary education. Matthew has also worked with students on the autism spectrum as a therapeutic staff support and volunteered in a children’s grief support group. Matthew believes that learning can be fun, teaching should be engaging, and every subject has significance. He is an incredibly creative and engaging teacher who loves to teach through both traditional and immersive methods.

In his free time, Matthew enjoys studying flamenco, composing music, listening to psychology podcasts, reading in Spanish and French, and spending time outdoors.

Dorothy Nguyen

August 14, 2015

Dorothy Nguyen graduated from Rutgers University pre-med with a degree in American Studies and a minor in Music. She has been tutoring students and peers since her freshman year of high school—peer tutoring ESL high school students in a wide range of subjects and classical piano training for students in all ages. Now, the subjects she primarily tutors include high school chemistry, biology, and math, including Algebra, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. Dorothy also tutors elementary and middle school math topics. In addition to core academic math and science, she also tutors math and science for standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, ISEE, SSAT, CTP, SHSAT, TACHS, Hunter Entrance Exam, and AP Biology.

In addition to her academic coaching and test preparation work, Dorothy is an experienced executive function coach. She has helped children with attentional challenges and other learning disabilities to become more effective with study and organizational skills, including time management. She helps students work on their memory to retain information, mental flexibility to sustain concentration and reduce shifts in attention, and self-control so that they get in the habit of prioritizing their work and monitoring their own progress.

Dorothy’s teaching style is focused on connecting with students and making sure that they not only understand the material but also find the topics interesting. Dorothy believes that there are many equally valid ways to teach a student, and she tailors her lessons to the specific needs of each student. She encourages students to use outside resources to garner interest and deeper understanding of various subjects.

Dorothy is a comedian and writer. She has won multiple screenwriting contests with a half-hour comedy, a one-hour drama, and a dramedy short. When she’s not making people laugh, she can be caught listening to her favorite comedy/science podcasts.

Daphne Muller

August 6, 2015

Daphne Muller is a Private Tutor and professional writer specializing in writing coaching, academic enrichment, and test preparation, including ACT, SAT, ISEE, NY State test preparation, and SHSAT. She enjoys working with children of all ages and hones her pedagogical approach to each child’s specific needs. She believes in giving children the tools to take ownership of their education so that they can become self-sufficient, empowered learners.

Daphne is a writer who has written articles for Salon, The Huffington Post, ELLE online, Big Think, Ms. Magazine, and other publications. She holds an honors B.A. degree in English Literature from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Religion and Literature from Yale University.

In addition to tutoring and writing, she also works with private clients to develop corporate marketing kits, web content, and professional development materials. Currently, Daphne is publishing a novel, producing a short film, and optioning a screenplay.

Ima Abia

April 3, 2015

Ima Abia graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in mathematics. She then received a Master’s degree in Mathematics from New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Upon graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, worked as a consulting actuary for three years and successfully completed the first 2 exams administered by the Society of Actuaries. Ima then joined Goldman Sachs, where she worked as a product controller for four years.

Ima is passionate about math and finds ways to make it accessible to all learners. Ima primarily tutors high school and undergraduate students in all areas of advanced math, including algebra, calculus, geometry, probability and trigonometry. Ima also helps students prepare for standardized tests, including the ACT, SAT, Regents, and AP exams. She is also a mentor in the New York Academy of Sciences after school STEM program and spent her summer mentoring and teaching elementary and middle school students.

In her free time, Ima enjoys various types of math nerdery (gasp!), long distance running, and team sports, such as volleyball and football. In 2011, she ran the NYC Marathon.

David Edelman

November 20, 2014

David Edelman has been teaching and privately tutoring Social Studies, including US History, Government, Economics and Global History in New York since 2007, first on Long Island and most recently in New York City. David graduated from The University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, received his Master’s in Social Studies Education from Hofstra University, and is certified to teach AP US History by the College Board. As a Social Studies teacher, David takes the most pride in helping his students excel on the NYS Regents exams, meeting their goals through individualized learning plans and fostering curiosity through inquiry-based learning that links concepts to current events.

Before pursuing his career in teaching, David spent two years working as a market research analyst and served in AmeriCorps NCCC, a yearlong national community service program that responds to disaster relief, environmental projects and education improvement programs across the US. During his time in AmeriCorps, David was a counselor for children with special needs at an Easter Seals’ camp in Des Moines, IA, taught educational youth programs at public housing sites in Minneapolis, MN, built houses for low income families with Habitat For Humanity in Miami, FL and performed in a Social Studies theater troupe with Learn & Serve at schools across Colorado. In 2007, David was invited by Councilwoman Carolyn McCarthy to testify in front of Congress about the importance of Service Learning in order to help reauthorize AmeriCorps funding. Ultimately, his experience in AmeriCorps, along with his desire to foster academic curiosity and a love of learning in others, inspired him to become a teacher.

In 2012, David was accepted into the Common Core Fellows Program and has been collaborating with teachers across NYC to develop academically engaging and challenging curricula aligned to the Common Core Learning Standards. In 2014, David accepted the position of Teacher Team Leader with the NYC Department of Education and is currently working to help implement new Teacher Career Pathways for individuals identified as Master and Model Teachers by providing coaching and collaboration with school leaders. The two books that most influenced his views on education are The Smartest Kids In The World & How They Got That Way and How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character. David believes that the most important ingredients to a strong education are skilled teachers and purposeful instruction; lessons should be rigorous, skill-oriented and applicable to real life. David has served as a Delegate To The United Federation Of Teachers and is a featured member of Educators 4 Excellence.

David is passionate about traveling and to date has visited over 30+ countries. He has already visited every state in the continental US and has aspirations to drive to Alaska and someday pilot a boat to Hawaii. During the summer of 2014, David was invited to Japan as a Keizai Koho Fellow, visiting schools and collaborating with Japanese teachers. He has also developed Social Studies curricula for The National Endowment For The Humanities and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In addition to traveling, David loves audiobooks, NPR, and foraging, and is actually able to identify over 40 species of eatable planting in and around NYC.

Matthew Serra

Dorothy Nguyen

Daphne Muller

Ima Abia

Company Overview

School Planning

Private Tutoring

Test Preparation