Abdullah Elamari graduated Dean’s List with a BA in International Studies, focusing on Political Science & History, from Virginia Commonwealth University and earned an MA in English from George Mason University, focusing on postcolonial studies and Russian literature. He served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Faculty Aide, leading sessions on critical-contextual analysis and academic writing, conducting research and fact-checking historical material for novel development, and editing manuscripts to improve clarity and readability.

Mattias Lenz graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BS in Molecular Biology
and a minor in Chemistry. At Loyola, he was awarded the Mulcahy Research Fellowship
for his contributions to biomedical research and potential in the natural sciences.
Mattias currently works at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he studies
blood-borne pathogens and the long-term complications associated with viral infection.

Abhi obtained his BS in Biology degree from the University of Florida before receiving a PhD in
Cancer Biology. As a member of National Honor Society in high school, he tutored students in
math, chemistry, biology, and physics.

April grew up in Westchester, New York right outside of the city. April has enjoyed teaching for the past 5 years in a non-public school in Maryland, Alaska and now in Montgomery County Public Schools

Bonnie is currently in her 5th year teaching in Montgomery County Public Schools, with experience in 7th, 9th, and 10th grade Honors English. In addition, she is an award winning yearbook adviser and unofficial tech coach at Walter Johnson High School. She specializes in close reading skills and creative writing.

Clara has worked as both a Kindergarten reading interventionist at a KIPP public charter school and a first-grade teacher and team lead in Fairfax county for 5 years. She is certified to teach Pre K through 6th grade

Delaney is in her fourth year of teaching middle school Spanish in MCPS. Her experience is primarily with 7th and 8th grade students at the Spanish 1 and 2 level, but she has tutored privately for students in Spanish through level 5. Additionally, Delaney worked as a student intern in a two-way immersion program at the elementary level. In this role, she specialized in teaching literacy, math, and science in Spanish with a focus on supporting and building academic foundations in both languages. In addition to Spanish, Delaney has also tutored students in English and History through the 10th grade level.

Elissa Vinnik is a graduate of Macalester College (American Studies) and Bard College’s Masters in the Arts of Teaching program. She spent the better part of a decade working in New York City public schools, where she taught 10th and 11th grade English for seven years. As a certified 7-12 grade English educator, Elissa taught classrooms of high school students who brought a wide variety of interests and learning needs, including IEPs, ADHD, anxiety, and those with organizational challenges.

Evan Smith holds a BS in engineering from the University of Vermont and is certified in Multisensory Mathematics.

Heather was an elementary special education teacher and phonics specialist at a charter school in Boston for 7 years until the pandemic hit. Now she’s at home with her two little boys. She has degrees from Smith College and Lesley University and is a certified Orton Gillingham instructor. Heather loves helping students find books they love and watching their excitement as they discover the joy of reading.

Jason boasts a distinguished 12-year tenure as a mathematics teacher at Rockville High School. He is from Montgomery County and an alum of Paint Branch High School and furthered his education at Montgomery College before earning a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland.

Lauren loves helping students through the writing process and working alongside them as they improve their skills and confidence! She begins each session by collaborating with the student on the goal or take-away, and ends with an assignment and accountability plan.

Natalie Jouzy received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. She began her teaching career eight years ago in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she taught 2nd grade

Reilly has been teaching middle school science in MCPS for 6 years. She graduated from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in Biology and minors in Chemistry and UFTeach (education). In addition, she holds a master's degree from UF in Secondary Science Education that focused on internships and long term substitute positions in higher level sciences. She is certified to teach 6-12 science and math in MCPS.

Stephanie Lee Rizas is currently an IB History teacher with MCPS but has years of experience teaching all levels of History, writing, and ESL as well as experience with students with organizational challenges. She is passionate about activating the potential in every student through an individualized approach to learning.

Blake has been a tutor since 2015. An honors student and National Merit Scholar, he started working with his peers to improve their SAT scores.

James Knuuttila’s career has been profoundly shaped by his passion for connecting people to high level mathematics. Over the course of the last 15 years, he has had the privilege of working as a mathematics teacher from grade 5 to AP Calculus, while also tutoring college level mathematics.

Allie is an editor at an advertising agency by day but has also worked as a verbal/English tutor for the last 12 years. Allie grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from Wootton High School. She then earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland and a M.S. in publishing from Pace University.

Ashley is entering her tenth year teaching! After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master’s Degree in Secondary Education, she taught a variety of English classes at Montgomery College. Having graduated from MCPS, she was eager to teach in the county where she was raised.

Brian Sims has been a classroom teacher for ten years and is currently a High School Social Studies teacher with MCPS. Brian has a unique teaching background, being the first several years of his teaching career he served as a Special Education teacher, teaching both self-contained and co-taught History classes. Brian’s first five years were spent teaching in Virginia and then he moved to Maryland and began teaching with MCPS. In Brian’s teaching career so far, he has taught Ancient World History, Modern World History, and United States History at the High School level. At the Middle School level, Brian has taught both 6th and 7th grade World Studies.

Courtney Tisch is an educator and writer born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland. After spending several years after college trying to be an actor as well as working at various non-profit organizations, Courtney decided to go back to school in 2012 for her Masters of Education from The George Washington University where she studied to become an elementary education teacher. Courtney has taught in Montgomery County, mainly teaching students in grades 1-3 in all subject areas.

Diane Wolbert is an experienced classroom teacher with 18 years of experience. She studied Elementary Education at Frostburg State University and later got her Masters in Elementary Education with a focus in differentiated instruction from Towson University. She currently teaches 5th grade in Germantown. Diane has worked with elementary students of all ages, building their confidence along with skills to help them be successful. She is passionate about supporting and educating children so they can reach their potential.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Elliott has traveled widely to pursue his career in higher education. He moved first to St. Paul, Minnesota to attend Macalester College, with brief stints abroad at the Goethe Institute in Berlin, as well as King’s College in London.

Grant Brown is a veteran educator with 14 years of experience at St. Albans School, where he currently teaches 6th grade history, serves as a homeroom teacher, and is the Form Leader for the 6th grade.

  Hope Neyer graduated magna cum laude from American University with a degree in Public Health. Hope worked as a teaching assistant and tutor at American and after graduating, was hired as an adjunct biology lab instructor. She is currently working as a medical assistant at a local pediatrics practice while applying to medical school.

Jenna Gallo holds an M.Ed in both Teaching, Learning and Advocacy (College of Charleston) and in Leadership Administration (Charleston Southern University.) She is a certified K-12 Special Educator and Reading Coach. Ms. Gallo holds her Orton Gillingham certification and is currently a Special Education Coordinator in Arlington County.

Lisa helps students find the best fit using tools to identify a list of schools, review high school transcripts/advise on course selections, support students as they write their college essay/supplemental essays/scholarship essays/honors program essays, navigate the Common App

Nicholas Gross graduated cum laude from Villanova University with dual degrees in Environmental Studies and Economics. He has worked in two government relations offices and is currently pursuing a career in financial advisory.

Nicholas is deeply interested in sustainable agriculture; two of his papers on the topic are currently assigned in a college course. His writing has received numerous awards, recognized for its clarity, structure, and style. He has a strong ability to make complex topics understandable for readers of all ages, an approach he looks forward to using to help your student excel, regardless of the topic!

Ryan is currently in his third year as a high school Spanish teacher in MCPS. A native of Montgomery County, Ryan completed the Spanish Immersion program in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster; he continued with the language at Muhlenberg College, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and in Education

Sung Hee has 21 years of elementary teaching experience in independent school settings. She has a Master's degree in Journalism from New York University, and a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Wellesley College. Sung Hee is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover.

Julie Ingoglia is an experienced professional with 10 years of experience working in elementary and middle schools. She came to education as a second career (from a public health focus on writing and curriculum development), working in two DMV private schools. Julie has supported students in grades K-4 in reading, writing and math, using a variety of different methods.

Dr. Sharon Blumenthal-Cohen has worked in education for over 25 years teaching students from middle school through graduate school. She holds a BA in English education, an MA in literature, and an EdD in curriculum and instruction.

Alyssa grew up in Olney, MD. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Towson University. Alyssa has been supporting students in grades K-3 with reading, ELA, and math for 8 years in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Beth Crowley has worked in education, journalism and communications for over 25 years. When she’s not tutoring, she teaches English and runs a journalism and writing program for high school students.

Catherine Murray received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education at York College of PA. She recently earned her master's degree in Reading Education from Towson University. Catherine has been a classroom teacher in MCPS for the past five years. She is currently teaching 1st grade Special Education and she has previously taught middle school Special Education for 6th and 8th grade, co-teaching math.

David is currently a Spanish teacher in MCPS. He grew up as a heritage speaker learning Spanish at home through his family then continued his growth by taking coursework at Wootton HS and the University of Maryland

Eleanor graduated from Ithaca College where she studied Environmental Sciences and Outdoor Adventure Leadership. Along with her studies, Eleanor gained lots of valuable experiences teaching children

Erika Braithwaite-Berg is a 1st grade teacher at Green Acres School in North Bethesda. She received her BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, and her M.A. in Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary. Erika is trained in Really Great Reading. She strives to help every student develop confidence in themselves as learners.

Harriet has 35 years of teaching experience with the Montgomery County Public School System.

Jamie grew up in New Rochelle, New York right outside of the city. Jamie has enjoyed teaching for 5 years now in Montgomery County. She graduated from American University with a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics.

Kayla Cooper holds dual degrees in English Literature and Communication from Mount St. Mary’s
University. During her undergraduate years, she spent three years as a writing tutor at the campus Writing
Center, working with students one-on-one and in small groups.

Lyndie grew up in Montgomery County and is currently in her second year with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). She brings hands-on experience working with students from Pre-K through 3rd grade and has a strong background in early literacy and math instruction. Lyndie is well-versed in Eureka Math, CKLA, and strategies for building decoding and comprehension skills.

Rebecca Poyatt holds a BA in history education from The Catholic University of America and both a Masters in children’s literature and language arts and an Education Specialist degree in educational theory and practice from the University of Georgia

Siobhan Alexander has worked in education for over 25 years. She holds a BS in Elementary Education and Math & Science Studies from Vanderbilt University, as well as a Masters of Education from John Hopkins University.

Susan Paton graduated from Trinity University in Washington D.C with a degree in Early Childhood Education.