Our Tutors:

Lisa Gelman – Ph.D., Director
Lisa holds a B.A. from Smith College and a MA and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, she instructed undergraduates in writing and was awarded the Chimicles Teaching Fellowship based on student evaluations and faculty recommendations. In addition, she has taught political science at Haverford College and at Penn as a Visiting Assistant Professor. In 2004, Lisa started tutoring SAT and ACT Prep and writing in the Baldwin School, Shipley School and Akiba (Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy) libraries during the school day. Soon after, she expanded Main Line Tutorial by hiring tutors who specialize in other subjects and by offering in-home tutoring. Lisa has helped hundreds of students prepare for the SAT and ACT. Students she assisted with their college essays have been accepted to Barnard, Brandeis, Brown, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, George Washington University, Harvard, Stanford, University of Southern California, Williams, Penn, and Yale. Lisa is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

Melissa – Study Skills, College Essays, Spanish, & History
Melissa has extensive experience in education ranging from classroom teaching to curriculum design and innovation. She has taught writing and ESL in a variety of settings both in the United States and abroad. She holds a B.A. in English and Spanish from Albright College and a M.S. in education from Penn. Melissa was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Spain where she earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. Melissa is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in communications at Temple and is a professor of Spanish at the University of the Arts. Melissa has several years of experience tutoring middle and high school students in a variety of subjects, including admissions essays. She joined Main Line Tutorial in 2006.

Poulomi – SAT & ACT Prep, Literature Subject Test & English Composition
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in English and international relations, Poulomi taught in Indonesia as a Fulbright scholar. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English at Penn. Poulomi has tutored SAT prep and high school math for more than seven years. She has been an intern for the U.S. Department of State and for Senator Barbara Mikulski and served as the president of the Mount Holyoke Club of Philadelphia. Poulomi joined Main Line Tutorial in 2006.

Leah – SAT & ACT Prep
Leah holds a B.S. in biology (summa cum laude) from Moravian College a M.S. from Penn. While at Moravian, Leah was a teaching assistant and tutored physics, calculus and biology. She has eight years of experience tutoring middle and high school students on the Main Line. In addition to tutoring and working full time as an editor, Leah is a spinning and cycling instructor. Leah joined Main Line Tutorial in 2006.

Andrea –College and Graduate School Essays
Andrea graduated summa cum laude from Yale with a B.A. in psychology and is finishing a Ph.D. in psychology at Penn. Andrea has been tutoring since she was in high school. While at Yale, she tutored her classmates and ran a tutoring program for elementary students in New Haven. Her students appreciate her outgoing personality, enthusiasm and organization skills.

Kerstin – SAT & ACT Prep, Math, Chemistry & Physics
Originally from Topeka, Kansas, Kerstin is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at Penn. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with B.S. degrees in mathematics and physics. Kerstin instructs other Penn graduate students in teaching techniques and is a recipient of the Physics Department teaching award. She has received perfect scores on every standardized math test she has ever taken, including the SAT, AP Calculus, and the GRE. Kerstin joined Main Line Tutorial in 2005.

Heather – Organization & Study Skills & History
Heather holds a B.A. in history from Haverford College. She spent her junior year in Greece.  Heather also holds a M.S. in education from Penn and is currently pursuing a Ph.D.  She has taught at several schools, including Germantown Friends and the Lakeside School in Seattle, and has tutored for several years for both individual clients and with Philadelphia Futures and A Better Chance (ABC) House. Heather joined Main Line Tutorial in 2007.

Reed – SAT Prep & Middle & High School Math
Reed graduated cum laude with a B.A. in philosophy from Harvard and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at Penn. In addition to several years of tutoring, Reed has worked with high school students as a math and debate teacher at a Catholic school in Texas and as a debate instructor at Milton Academy, the University of Texas and Baylor University. Reed joined Main Line Tutorial in 2008.

Adam – History, English Composition, PRAXIS, Organization & Study Skills
A dedicated teacher and tutor, Adam enjoys assisting students of all abilities achieve their educational goals. Adam is a graduate of the University of Delaware and holds a J.D. cum laude and M.A. in secondary education from Temple. He helps coach his two daughters¿ sports teams. Adam joined Main Line Tutorial in 2008.

Carrie – SAT Prep, Latin, English Composition & Organization & Study Skills
Carrie graduated cum laude from Smith College, where she majored in classical languages and literature and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.  Carrie is currently a Ph.D. candidate and recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship in Penn¿s Classical Studies Department.  Carrie tutored Latin while in college, taught high school Latin in Virginia and is currently a Latin and Mythology instructor at Penn.

Jessica – Reading and Organization & Study Skills
Jessica majored in psychology at Rutgers and holds a M.A. in social work and M.A. in education from Penn.  Jessica has worked as a reading specialist and social worker for several years. She is trained to conduct reading assessments, such as QRI, DIBELS, Woodcock-Johnson, and Running Records. Jessica enjoys travelling abroad and taught English in an impoverished village in Peru as a volunteer lead teacher for Traveler Not Tourist.

Craig – Biology, Biology Subject Test, MCAT
Craig holds a B.S. in biological sciences from Cornell University and a M.D. and Ph.D. from S.U.N.Y Syracuse. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Penn. While in college, Craig was a teaching assistant for a biology course and tutored middle and high school students. He joined Main Line Tutorial is 2009.

Lisa – Chemistry & Math
A graduate of the University of Washington, where she majored in biochemistry and minored in chemistry, Lisa is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Penn. As a college student, Lisa designed a curriculum and taught science and engineering to elementary students. She also gave flute lessons. Lisa joined Main Line Tutorial is 2009.

Patricia – Spanish
Patricia holds a B.A. in psychology from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and a M.S. in secondary education from Penn. She taught Spanish at Friends Select for six years and currently teaches at Episcopal Academy. Patricia has been teaching and tutoring Spanish since 1992. She also has a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate.