I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Russian literature and psychology with a minor in philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. I then earned a post-baccalaureate degree in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Upon moving to Boston in 2001, I spent a year and a half working for Pearson Education, where I honed my editing skills and worked with authors of academic textbooks. Over the course of the six years that followed, I worked as a tutor and ultimately as the full time Learning Specialist for Lesley University while finishing my Master’s Degree in counseling psychology with a focus on adolescent development. In my learning specialist role at Lesley, I case managed and provided individualized tutoring at least thirty students with diagnosed learning differences from Lesley and The Art Institute of Boston each semester.

Since then, I have acquired a Master’s in special education from Salem State as well as teaching licenses in English Language Arts, social studies, and special education in grades 5-12 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Massachusetts. I currently work as a public school teacher in the Boston area in addition to my work as a tutor/learning consultant.

I truly think tutoring can benefit anyone who seeks it. You don’t need a diagnosis to want to strengthen your writing. Collaboration can turn messy ideas into seamless, well-constructed drafts that you reread and think, “Wow, this is really good!”

While anyone can benefit from tutoring, my background and specializations are ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities/learning differences. It is my conviction that some of the most creative, talented and brilliant people are those who need to work harder because their brains work a bit differently. Unfortunately, some of these differences can make academic settings grueling – our society does not always reward those who do not fit the mold. Sometimes we have to play the game, and that can be frustrating. During our sessions, I work to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses (students are often more aware of their weaknesses); together, we can build upon strengths and manage weaknesses. And with a lot of hard work and determination, students’ strengths can translate into finished academic work of which they can be proud.

At the high school level, I have worked with students within the Cambridge, Belmont, and Newton school systems, as well as with private schools including The Cambridge School of Weston, St. Paul’s School, Winsor School, BB & N, Hillside School, and Phillips Academy Andover.

I have worked with undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral students from Harvard, MIT, Tufts Boston University, University of California at Berkeley, MGH School of Health Professions, Lesley, The Art Institute of Boston, Mass Art, Cambridge College, Simmons, Emmanuel College, UMass Boston, and the University of Michigan.

In addition to my extensive tutoring work, my previous background in the publishing field as well as my graduate degree in writing has equipped me to edit publishable manuscripts. For confidentiality purposes, samples of student work are not posted on this website but can be provided upon request.