PrepNow Tutor - Isabella V.
“I aim to turn learning into an engaging, accessible, and meaningful process, helping students develop the strategies and systems they need for sustained success,” says statistician and data scientist Isabella, who goes by Bella. She prides herself on her ability to “identify and work with each student’s individual strengths and needs” and is passionate about working with students from diverse backgrounds.
Bella graduated summa cum laude from Florida Atlantic University, where she was a member of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in data science. Bella was the recipient of the Outstanding Thesis Award by her thesis advisory committee. After undergrad, she worked in academic research and clinical settings before deciding to return to school. She attended University of Massachusetts Amherst where she earned a master's in data analytics and computational social science. She is a co-author on multiple peer-reviewed academic journal articles at the intersection of psychology and quantitative language analysis.
While Bella intends to use her qualifications to pursue a career in academia, industry research, or statistical consulting, she is equally dedicated to teaching and tutoring. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an internship as a tutor. This experience made her deeply passionate about “helping students overcome challenges in their academic careers.” She cites, as one of her proudest teaching moments, her work with a neurodivergent student who developed the confidence and skills to read capably after they worked together. Bella’s K-12 teaching experience covers elementary and middle school mathematics in addition to geometry and algebra I and II. She’s also taught English, social studies, and sciences. Her college-level tutoring includes calculus, statistics, and data science.
“My teaching style relies on creativity, flexibility, and problem-solving to help students tackle challenges,” Bella says. A one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work. “I deeply believe that students are best served when an instructor takes the time to connect with them, learn who they are and what they need, and facilitate access to what they need to succeed,” she explains. This method allows the student to communicate their needs and allows Bella to fill in any gaps. “I am confident that every student is capable of reaching their academic goals when the right systems and supports are put into place for them,” Bella says.
In both high school and college, Bella enjoyed activities that allowed her to sing. In high school, she was a member of the choir. She even performed Christmas shows at Disney with her choir! In college, she was a member of the musically inclined club and involved with musical theater. She was also part of the literary club and Psi Chi, the college psychology honor society. Bella still enjoys getting together with friends and family to play music, but she also spends her time reading, baking, and playing video games.
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