Sample MENTU Mentors
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ANDREW
Alma mater:
University of Southern California Bachelor's degree in Print and Digital Journalism Check out Andrew's writing here: atweedy.com/writing Teaching Experience - 3 Years Princeton in Asia - English teaching fellow 2 Years in Can Tho, Vietnam, then Almaty, Kazakhstan Area of Expertise: Academic Reading and Writing, International Communication, and English Pronunciation Favorite Books: Devotion, Patti Smith A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway Americanah, Ngozi Chimamanda Adichie |
For many years, Andrew has enjoyed reading and discussing literature, finding excitement and intellectual satisfaction through books. Andrew has worked with university students in Vietnam on a wide range of topics within the English language, from pronunciation to international communication, and he’s excited to broaden that scope to include reading mentorship with MENTU. Interacting with literature is all about building understanding between the reader and the text, as well as the reader and the community, and Andrew can’t wait to help foster that growth with his students.
Andrew said, "Reading offers us an escape from the material world around us, inviting us into the contexts of alternate societies, themes and ideals. And while books provide us with a temporary refuge from our reality, they simultaneously challenge us to look deeper into ourselves and into the human condition at large. Literature stimulates our minds in many ways, but perhaps none more importantly than in our capacity for empathy and compassion. As we continue to search for ways to understand each other across cultural and social barriers, I’d like to think that the solution lies in our efforts to read, contemplate and share the ideas that live within our most celebrated texts."
Andrew said, "Reading offers us an escape from the material world around us, inviting us into the contexts of alternate societies, themes and ideals. And while books provide us with a temporary refuge from our reality, they simultaneously challenge us to look deeper into ourselves and into the human condition at large. Literature stimulates our minds in many ways, but perhaps none more importantly than in our capacity for empathy and compassion. As we continue to search for ways to understand each other across cultural and social barriers, I’d like to think that the solution lies in our efforts to read, contemplate and share the ideas that live within our most celebrated texts."
AMANDAAlma mater:
Williams College - Bachelor's of Art University of Michigan - Ph.D. Teaching Experience - 3 Years Fulbright Scholar - Taught English language in Southeast Asia Taught history at the University of Michigan and the Dalton School in New York City. Area of Expertise: Poetry, Post-Colonial Studies, Music, Visual Art and Performance Favorite Books : On Beauty, Zadie Smith A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan Life on Mars, Tracey Smith |
As the child of two traveling academics, Amanda attended middle and high schools in the USA and Australia, constantly switching between American and British-style learning systems. Reading both served as an escape from the anxieties of moving and a bridge between different cultures and intuitions. Amanda hopes to help MENTU students develop the skills of comprehension, critical thinking, and confidence in their own ideas to become truly global learners.
A lifelong student and historian, Amanda is fascinated with how we write stories to make sense of the past. Amanda is an experienced teacher who has taught English language in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright Scholar and history in at the University of Michigan and the Dalton School in New York City. Her background in the arts and museum curation fuels her passion for cultivating each student’s unique creative learning style.
A lifelong student and historian, Amanda is fascinated with how we write stories to make sense of the past. Amanda is an experienced teacher who has taught English language in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright Scholar and history in at the University of Michigan and the Dalton School in New York City. Her background in the arts and museum curation fuels her passion for cultivating each student’s unique creative learning style.
AULDEN
Alma mater:
Stanford University Bachelor's of Art in Classics and Minor in Biology Teaching Experience - 2 Years Taught Ancient Greek at Calder Classics Summer programs Teaching Assistant at Stanford University Area of Expertise: Writing, Classic Literature, Research Favorite Books : The Plague, Albert Camus ale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov Visions of Gerard, Jack Kerouac |
Aulden loves how gaining new knowledge allows her to see new forms of beauty in the world, a philosophy that inspires her varied studies. She studies Classics and Biology at Stanford with the hope of pursuing neuroscience research, but she aims always to keep classics close to her heart. From mythology to pop sci, Aulden loves introducing students to new genres and finds a varied approach to reading more rewarding.
She hopes to help others learn not only that they should read more, but also that they are capable of loving the time they spend doing it. Aulden aims to make reading approachable to everyone, and to make reading a more pleasurable experience through building context that is relevant to ones interests.
She hopes to help others learn not only that they should read more, but also that they are capable of loving the time they spend doing it. Aulden aims to make reading approachable to everyone, and to make reading a more pleasurable experience through building context that is relevant to ones interests.
CAITLYN
teenagers and incarcerated adults. Caitlyn believes reading has the power to improve everyone’s future and will strive to provide all mentees with better English comprehension and a love for books. Having found her own passion for psychology and sociology, she feels strongly about providing others with the resources and tools to discover their own paths. Caitlyn is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she studies psychology. She intends to pursue a career in social work and is also an active volunteer in her community. Having donated her time to daycares, social services, local community centers and the regional jail, she has experience working with a variety of individuals, including young children,
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DAVID
My interest in reading comes from my father, and when I was young, we would read together every day. When it came to choosing my university major, English was the obvious choice for me. I swayed towards choosing classes which focused on literature and creative writing, and have studied literary movements from numerous periods throughout history, such as Renaissance Literature, Victorian Literature, Romanticism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. With my knowledge of English literature, I guide students to identify and under- stand the deeper ideas and themes in the books they read, helping them to truly master the English language.
As an experienced online tutor, I have worked to help hundreds of students develop their English reading skills. I have taught all levels of students, from helping beginners with pronunciation and phonics, to assisting advanced level students who are preparing to take the IELTS or TOEFL examinations before they travel to study abroad. I enjoy seeing people accomplish the targets they have set for themselves, and my aim is to help students to achieve their dream of speaking English fluently. I enjoy teaching one-to-one lessons because it allows me to tailor the learning towards the students’ specific goals and interests. |
DYLAN
Dylan graduated from Columbia University in 2017 with a degree in History and Political Science, after which he spent a year teaching English at a university in Thailand through the Princeton in Asia fellowship. He has worked with dozens of MENTU students to help them read and write analytically. Having grown up speaking Japanese and English at home and studied French and Arabic throughout high school and college, he leverages his own experience studying languages to better understand and adapt to his students’ needs. He has extensive tutoring and mentoring experience, and prior to college, he founded a reading and math mentoring exchange program between his high school and middle school students in Harlem.
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ERIKA
Erika studies English and Italian at Stanford University. A life-long lover of literature, Erika has a passion for communicating the joy of reading to others. Erika is an experienced tutor who has worked with students at both the high school and college levels, teaching oral and written communication skills in addition to reading comprehension. To Erika, tutoring is all about the relationships you are able to build with like-minded people, and, in a sense, so is reading—it's all about building a relationship with the text. Erika loves helping others develop their relationships with reading at MENTU!
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HANNAH
Finishing a good book sits it your gut for weeks, months, even years afterward, making you think differently about everything you see and touch. As an English teacher to young students, my favorite memories are those when my pupils were able to find delight and humor in the idiosyncrasies of language, rather than frustration. For example, with my first-graders, we read the Mr. Men series of children's books, which helped teach them all the ways that language (in this case English) can help them understand and express their complicated, ever-changing feelings and moods.I felt so fortunate to witness their simultaneous incredulity and joy at adding words like “chatter box”, “topsy-turvy” and “fickle”, to their vocabulary. I think reading has a unique ability to expand our language in this way, as we grapple with the texture, sound, and meaning of words on the page. I am a soon-to-be master’s student in Economics at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and am thrilled to move back to Germany, from my home in Minneapolis in the U.S. At Humboldt, I intend to focus on issues regarding labor and health economics. In addition to my academic interests in economic policy, I am captivated by the dynamics of language in cultural exchange, and loves to explore how our relationship to language shapes how we connect to the individuals and community around us.
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MATT
Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, I’ve always dreamed of traveling and learning as much as I can about the world outside of the Garden State. My passions include literature, film and media studies, intercultural communication, politics, higher education, public health, and striking up conversations with strangers to hear their stories. Growing up in a family of five, we often struggled with having enough money to pay the bills, let alone take family vacations together. Reading, however, made up for that lack, as I traveled to places around the world—and even to different planets and universes—through the different books I found. From the warring kingdoms of Middle Earth to the far-flung dark planet of Camazotz, I found myself transported to places I never could have imagined, but soon thereafter began imagining as I tried my own hand at writing. Reading is still my favorite way to decompress after a long day, and I love sharing book recommendations with my students looking to explore new worlds for themselves.
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MAX
Max cultivates in himself a love of storytelling in any form. Music, movies, the spoken word, dancing, and, of course and most strongly, reading and writing. He has a lifelong reading list of mysteries, histories, fantasies, prose, and poetry that keeps growing. Max has taught English as a second language in Japan for about three years, and has been a tutor for an additional four nonconsecutive ones. He has instructed in every position he’s ever held, and even teaches beginner’s courses for free at his local rock climbing gym. He believes firmly in the two keys of passing wisdom down through generations: teaching and storytelling. There exist no older and more reliable stories to “hear” than those written, and no better way to take them in than through a teaching guide who has already walked the path.
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MAXWELL
Maxwell possesses an unmatched passion for reading. His university studies revolved around literature and writing, specifically focusing on works of the American Modern Novelists. His interests however do not end there as Maxwell is constantly exploring new works of all genres, reading two to three books a week. Prior to starting with MENTU, Maxwell tutored high school students, in the subjects of reading, writing, and filmmaking. His goal is to unlock the potential in every student by expanding their knowledge, imagination, and creative output. Maxwell has also worked in the film industry, and knows almost everything there is to know about movies. If you have an interest in literature, film, or both, Maxwell is the MENTU mentor for you! In teaching reading, Mawell believes, “Almost anything that can be learned is contained in the pages of books, you just have to open it. Reading is one of the most essential tools of our global society, and has been for thousands of years. In today’s exciting global landscape, we now have nearly immediate access to writings from all around the world, translated through almost every language, and presented in accessible captivating format. To read is to learn. Not just about new subject matter, but to learn empathy, and to understand the subjective view of another.”
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SARAH
Wanting a change of pace, Sarah packed up her life and relocated to Thailand to begin her work as an ESL teacher. Sarah has mentored Thai and Chinese students across many ages and levels of ability. Sarah quickly found that working one-on-one with students was the most productive as well as most enjoyable way to teach. Her experience working as an ESL teacher as well as certified health coach helped her discover that giving individualized attention brings about the trust and deeper connection the student needs to be inspired. Sarah studied at the University of Iowa, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Interdepartmental Studies; Health Science with a focus in Global Health. Working across many disciplines and environments, Sarah has developed the ability to cultivate close knit relationships with individuals quickly. She looks forward to many more years of inspiring others to achieve their goals across all her areas of expertise.
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TENDAI
Tendai is a clinical Biochemistry PhD student at the University of Cambridge. She graduated valedictorian of her high school and continued to Williams College where she majored in chemistry and biology and graduated Cum Laude. She has completed competitive internships at institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
During her years at CYPA and LEAP she has helped eager students with essay writing, developing critical reading skills, and career guidance. Her most recent college mentee was admitted to the University of Southern California. Tendai’s hobbies include classical saxophone and coding. |