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 Penn as a Visiting Assistant Professor. 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, New York University, Stanford, University of Southern California, Williams, Penn, and Yale. Lisa is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. She lives in Gladwyne with her husband and three children.

Laura – French, English Composition & College Essays
Laura graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she majored in French and Russian. She received her Ph.D. in French from the University of Pennsylvania and studied in Geneva for a year. Laurahas been a French professor at Penn and the University of Alabama and is currentlyan assistant professor at Temple.She enjoys poetry, theater, climbing, aerobics, and volunteer work.

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 BA in English and Spanish from Albright College and a M.S. in education from Penn. While at Penn, She tutored middle and high school students in a variety of subject areas, including admissions essays. Melissa was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Spain where she earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. She lived in Spain for three years and has both studied abroad and taught in Mexico.

Poulomi – SAT, History, Math, & 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 third-year Ph.D. candidate in English at Penn. Poulomi has tutored SAT prep and high school math for more than six years. She has been an intern for the U.S. Department of State and for Senator Barbara Mikulski and is currently the president of the Mount Holyoke Club of Philadelphia.

Frank –Study Skills, English Composition, Statistics, & All High School Math
Frank holds both a B.S. in applied mathematics and a B.A. in classical studies from Columbia University. He is now writing his Ph.D. dissertation in statistics at Penn's Wharton School. Frank was awarded the Statistics Department's Murray Prize for best teacher. While at Columbia, Frank taught math to middle and high school students. His hobbies include playing the violin, Korean drumming, and participating in triathlons.

Leah – SAT & ACT Prep
Leah holds a Masters of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in biology (summa cum laude) from Moravian College. While at Moravian, Leah was a teaching assistant and tutored physics, calculus and biology. She has five 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.

Andrea –College and Graduate School Essays
Andrea graduated summa cum laude from Yale with a B.A. in psychology and is currently pursuing 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. Andrea has extensive experience working

Kerstin – SAT Math, High School & Middle School 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 BS degrees in mathematics and physics. She has been tutoring and teaching for the past seven years, and instructs other Penn graduate students in teaching techniques. Last year, she received the Physics Department teaching award. Kerstin has received perfect scores on every standardized math test she has ever taken, including the SAT, AP Calculus, and the GRE.

Tim – SAT Prep, All Math, & English
Tim has a B.A. in math and a B.A. in philosophy from Michigan State, where he also completed graduate work in math.  He holds a M.A. in English from Penn and is working on his Ph.D. dissertation.  Tim has taught literature, writing and math to undergraduates at Penn and Michigan State as well as math to gifted middle school students. He has also taught SAT and GRE prep courses for Kaplan.  Tim has an extensive list of articles, poems and short stories that have been published.

Stacy – Biology and Chemistry
Stacy holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Penn, where she also teaches an upper-level biology course.  She double majored in biology and biochemistry at Mount Saint Mary’s.  Stacy has several years’ experience teaching and tutoring.  Stacy enjoys reading and is an avid runner.  She has run six marathons including the NYC marathon and one ultra marathon trail run.

Jim – High School Math and Science, and Study & Organization Skills
Jim has a BS in secondary education from Penn State and a law degree from Temple. He has taught basic, honors and AP science classes at local high schools and has been tutoring since college. Jim is also a rock-climbing instructor. His hobbies include golf, biking, weightlifting and reading.

Larissa – SAT, Spanish & History
Larissa graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a B.A. in comparative literature and society.  While at Columbia, she was awarded the Kluge Scholarship and named a William Alpern scholar.  Larissa taught an upper-level undergraduate seminar on U.S. Latino literature at the University of Los Andes in Colombia.  In addition to tutoring SAT prep and other school subjects while in college, she tutored high school students in PSAT and SAT prep, English and math as a private tutor at the American School of Paris.  She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in romance languages and literatures at Penn. 

Rick – Math & Science
Rick has a B.S. from and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering at Penn.  While an undergraduate at Penn, Rick received several awards including the 1915 Award for “outstanding performance in academic, athletics and leadership” and the Hugo Otto Wolf Memorial Prize for “thoughtfulness and originality in academic work.”  As a graduate student, he received the Fall 2005 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.  As an undergrad, Rick was the captain of Penn’s wrestling team and is currently a volunteer coach.

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.

Will – College and Graduate School Essays
A National Merit Scholar, Will graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore and holds a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He is currently, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in English at Penn.  Will taught high school for Teach for America in New Orleans for two years and taught English in Japan for one year.  He also spent four summers as a teacher and residence director for the Exploration Senior Program at Yale and Wellesley.  His responsibilities included designing and teaching courses in international relations, leading field trips and overseeing the welfare of 750 high school students.

Kim – Math & Science
Kim has a B.S in biology from Eckerd College and is a Ph.D. candidate in cell and molecular biology at Penn.  She tutored while in college and has been a teaching assistant at Penn.  Last summer, Kim taught high school students participating in Penn’s Summer Academy in Applied Science and Technology. 

Reed – SAT Prep, Writing, 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.

Adam – History, English Composition, PRAXIS, Organization & Study Skills
A dedicated teacher and tutor, Adam enjoys assisting with students of all abilities to 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.

Lauren – Elementary Reading and Math & Middle & High School Study Skills
Lauren double majored in political science and Spanish at Bryn Mawr College and holds a M.S. in education from Mercy College, from which she graduated summa cum laude.  Lauren has worked as a classroom teacher, learning specialist and special education teacher in New York and, currently, in Philadelphia. She has extensive experience working with students with learning and behavioral challenges and works collaboratively with parents and, when requested, teachers and schools.

Carrie – Latin & English Composition
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.

Maria – English Composition, SAT Critical Reading & Writing, College Essays
Maria holds a B.A. in English from Dickinson College and a M.A. from Penn’s Liberal Arts program. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communications at Temple.  Maria has two years’ experience working with students full time as a writing specialist and adjunct instructor at Cabrini College.

Nicole – Chemistry, Physics, Math
Nicole is a graduate of Rice University where she received a B.S. in bioengineering and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in bioengineering at Penn. Nicole tutored throughout college and has been a teaching assistant at Penn. She was also a mentor for students participating in Penn’s Summer Science Academy. She is active in her church’s youth ministry, is a member of Penn’s salsa club and plays competitive volleyball.