PrepNow Tutor - Ella S.
A tutor since 2016, Ella loves helping students develop an enthusiasm for learning. They hold a BS cum laude in physics from the University of Puget Sound; throughout college, they worked as a tutor, academic consultant, laboratory assistant, and grader. Ella has participated in undergraduate research at the University of Maryland, College Park, where they investigated the effect of an external magnetic field on impacts in granular material. They also researched a mathematical model of the growth of ice crystals in cirrus clouds at the University of Puget Sound, and explored the X-ray and neutron production of a nuclear fusor reactor at a private laboratory.
Ella started tutoring in middle school through a school-led peer program. “I found a passion for helping students accomplish difficult tasks, and I remained a self-employed tutor until attending college, where I tutored for the Mathematics Department and the university's tutoring center," they explain. Ella’s proudest moments in tutoring always arise at the end of the school year, when students begin to feel confident in themselves again and find that they no longer need Ella's mentorship. “Helping students regain confidence in their abilities has always been my goal, and I am proud when these students stop questioning themselves and find ways to translate difficult concepts themselves into ideas they can understand,” Ella says.
Throughout their career, Ella has tutored an array of math topics; at the high school level, they have taught pre-algebra, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus I, and calculus II; at the college level they have taught multivariate calculus, linear algebra, and ordinary and partial differential equations. They also tutored physics for four years. When asked about their teaching style, Ella says, “I ask many leading questions to engage students and encourage them to find their way to the answers.” Ella believes students learn best when they go through the process of reasoning why an answer does or does not make sense. “I encourage students to speak their thoughts out loud! I believe that verbalizing the jumble of words in a brain can organize thoughts much quicker than sitting silently.”
In high school, Ella participated in the swim team, marching band, jazz band, concert band, symphonic band, and taekwondo. In college, they were involved in the concert band, physics club, math club, volunteer tutoring, taekwondo, and dance. They also studied in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh for six months.
Ella loves reading, working on jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with arts and crafts—especially crocheting, knitting, sewing, and drawing. They're also passionate about music and enjoy singing, dancing, and playing multiple instruments. “I hiked the tallest mountain in the UK (Ben Nevis) this year!” Ella shares.
