PrepNow Tutor - HongJin A.
Budding chemist HongJin loves working with people, whether through tutoring, mentoring, or collaborating on research. She finds it incredibly rewarding to see someone gain confidence in their abilities. HongJin recently graduated from the College of William & Mary where she studied chemistry with a minor in philosophy. She spent two of her undergraduate years as a researcher in an inorganic chemistry lab. During that time, she coauthored two peer-reviewed publications. She also worked as a pharmacy technician in addition to interning at a non-profit that helped low-income high school students navigate the college application process. She plans on getting her PhD in chemistry.
As a high school freshman in 2018, HongJin began volunteering as a tutor at a community organization. She continued there for five years and taught a variety of subjects from English, science, and mathematics to SAT prep and even civics. Her students ranged in age from elementary school to adult learners. In fact, her proudest moment was helping a student in her mid-fifties prepare for her citizenship exam and finding out the student had passed! HongJin has also tutored students in chemistry who were preparing for the MCAT.
“I would describe my teaching style as patient and collaborative,” HongJin says. She knows that every student learns differently. As such, she explains, “I try to understand how they think before deciding how to explain a concept.” She also avoids simply providing answers and instead will ask questions in the hope it will “encourage students to work through problems on their own.” This approach accomplishes two things: “they can build confidence and develop lasting problem-solving skills.”
As both a high school and college student, HongJin was a member of the Red Cross club as well as clubs for prospective physicians. In high school, she also held leadership roles in the National Science Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society, and photography club. In college, HongJin was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and chemistry club.
Chemistry is also central to HongJin’s hobbies. She likes to bake and considers the kitchen her “lab outside of the lab.” Most importantly, she likes to share her creations with her friends, family, and cat. She approaches photography with a similar mindset—everything from composing a photo to developing the film to watching it appear on paper is extremely rewarding. Both hobbies are as much about the process as the final result. HongJin’s favorite roommate is her orange cat. She’s allergic to him, but she still thinks it’s a fair trade-off!
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