Meet Some Of Our Expert Tutors

Alex values making new friends with students and passing on knowledge to help them. Alex’s favorite tip is; “We find success from our failure, and it’s ok to make a mistake if we are willing to correct it.” He suggests, “When my students share their happy and sad thoughts with me, that’s the moment I know we have built a trust and connection with each other so I can pass on my knowledge and experience to them.”

An interesting fact about Alexis is that she was a young tutored student of Diane Lewis (CEO of Firefly Tutors). Alexis is now following in Diane's footsteps, becoming a tutor herself.

Alexis tutors reading, math, and writing.

What Anicia loves most about being a tutor is serving the unique needs of each student and helping them succeed. “Each student and each assignment is different -- the opportunities are endless for a flexible and rewarding service to others.”

Araid loves sharing her expertise with students in the areas where they struggle. Araid’s favorite tip for students is that students deserve respect. Once they understand their concerns, viewpoints, and general outlook on life they are more motivated to learn and work with the teacher. She believes it is important to assess and reflect upon the lessons taught on a daily basis.

Ashley Furst is an accomplished singer, writer, and anchor. She is one of the singers featured on a Sony album titled "Christmas Classics" which became a Certified Gold Record along with some of the biggest names in music including; Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and Tony Bennett.

A resident of Riverside, California, Bo has been tutoring with A+ In-Home Tutors for over seven years. What Bo loves most about being a tutor is the fulfillment he receives through supporting his students to achieve success. “My greatest reward comes when I see that light in my student’s eyes,” says Bo.

Presenting Brandon Lim, our esteemed Tutor of the Month for February 2024! Hailing from the vibrant city of Long Beach, CA, Brandon brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to the Firefly Tutors team.

Dakota is based in Palm Springs, California. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics with a minor in Mathematics and has been tutoring for Firefly Tutors since October of 2022. Dakota specializes in algebra, pre-calculus, calculus, trigonometry, geometry, and physics.

Eliza is from Apple Valley, California and while she is best versed in anatomy, physiology, and math, she tutors all subjects from Kindergarten through 12th grade. “What I love most about tutoring is that I am actively engaged with the minds of our future,” says Eliza. “I enjoy seeing how much progress students make and the joy that radiates from their faces when they know they have accomplished something great.”

Located in Whittier, California, he has been tutoring most subjects for over a decade. Emiliano’s personal favorite subject matter being English, as his father was a librarian. Emiliano’s passion for tutoring is at its highest when he is assisting students in their journey to getting into college. In addition, he is passionate about helping to pair students’ personal life goals with applicable majors.

Hailing from Sacramento, CA, Jeremiah has been a dedicated member of the Firefly Tutors family for over a year, with an impressive five years of tutoring experience under his belt. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics, making him a valuable asset in the world of education.

Joel’s favorite tip for students is in math. “Think of the numbers not as abstract concepts but as real things. Negative numbers are how down they go, positive numbers are how up they go. Fractions are how many slices of pizza they have. Equal signs are like fulcrums on a scale.”

From Woodside, California, Joseph has been educating others for over ten years. “My proudest moment as a tutor is whenever a student, especially one who was struggling, achieves mastery of an important concept.” At Firefly Tutors, we value tutors celebrating the victories of their students.

Kristi L. Miller, a dedicated tutor from Big Bear City, California, has been named the Firefly Tutors November Tutor of the Month for 2023. With 1.5 years of experience as a tutor, Kristi's passion for teaching shines through as she tutors a wide range of subjects, including Reading, Writing, English, Math, Science, Spanish, Poetry, Life Coaching, and Guitar, for students ranging from K-12 to college/university levels.

Meghan’s favorite memory from tutoring was when her niece was homeschooling. Her niece displayed low self-esteem and didn’t believe in her own capabilities. In her 8th grade year, she received the honors award from her school for a 3.6 GPA. She was in disbelief of receiving the award showcasing a huge smile that came across her face. This is why tutoring her niece was all worth it.

Melissa shared her favorite memory with one of her students. “A favorite memory is when one of my students was very excited to take on a text-evidence close reading ELA activity. He is only in 2nd grade, and he did wonderfully on this third-grade supplemental task. He loved being challenged and learning a new skill.”

Mengran tutors the beautiful Chinese language of Mandarin. Native to China, Mengran appreciates that more and more people want to learn her mother language. She observes that many people like herself were born in a non-English speaking country and grew up learning English. Mengran continues to teach Chinese and hopes that Mandarin will become a popular international language the same as English.

The most important tip Morgan shares is to build relationships with students when teaching them. Morgan says; “Gaining their trust makes kids much more willing to learn, and discovering their interests reveals different methods for effective tutoring. For example, if a fourth grader loves animals but dislikes math, make story problems that relate to running a veterinary practice. Just like Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, try many different strategies and see which ones work.”

Pierre received a magna cum laude from California State University, Bakersfield with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting and Finance Concentration. He currently is a Communicative Disorders leveling student at Eastern New Mexico University. Pierre plans to get his Master of Science in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Northridge to complete his education to become a speech-language pathologist.

Randel's favorite tip to students is for students who have trouble with writing assignments, I find that discussing the topic with the student helps him/her discover what to write. Randel also is an avid musician. Up until the pandemic, he performed semi-professionally on stage as a guitarist.

I started with a student during her seventh-grade year. She was getting D's and F's. With some intense hours of tutoring in study skills, math, and science, she was able to bring her grades up and she graduated from middle school on the Honor Roll. She is a sophomore in high school now and has maintained her grades in the A's and B's.

Introducing Rebecca Anderson, our dedicated Tutor of the Month for April 2024! Hailing from the serene city of Lake Elsinore, CA Rebecca brings a wealth of passion and expertise to the Firefly Tutors team!

Introducing Rhiannon (Rio) Rodriguez, our Tutor of the Month for January 2024! Coming from the desert city of Helendale, CA, Rio has been an integral part of the Firefly Tutors family since July 2023, bringing her unique blend of expertise and passion to our team.

We celebrate Rick Neisser as our Firefly Tutor for May 2022. He resides in Costa Mesa, California and has been tutoring with Firefly Tutors for 3 years. Rick loves both the mental challenges and emotional rewards of tutoring. Preparing a lesson keeps Rick sharp, allowing him to relearn the subject while figuring out the best ways of presenting the material.

Samirah shares one of her favorite student success stories. One of my students had been struggling to read for years. Once we found something that worked, she was able to read signs in stores and on TV. Her family was so happy, and I am glad to have been a part of that.

Sarah reflects on her success story, “My proudest moment as a tutor has been seeing at-risk students get to graduate and walk with their class. The accomplishment and empowerment on their faces as they walked means that I did my job and I did it well.”

From tutoring young ones to older students, breaking larger tasks into smaller, manageable units is an invaluable key to prevent a student from feeling overwhelmed in learning a new skill or completing a project.

We celebrate Sharon Wanderdam as our Firefly Tutor for April 2022. She resides in Davis, California, and brings over 7 years of experience to our program. Sharon loves making personal connections with each of her students. This special bond makes the sessions fun, and heartening for both. Trust helps students become more receptive and comfortable to ask questions and reach their academic goals.

Sophie values the importance of building the confidence of her students. Sophie’s favorite tip to help her students learn is to allow students to make choices whenever possible. She suggests even proposing small choices such as, “would you rather practice fractions or word problems next?” Sophie emphasizes that this practice “gives students agency of your time with them.”

Taylor Nguyen is a dedicated tutor based in Garden Grove, CA. With a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, Taylor has been tutoring for Firefly Tutors for the past 10 months. Specializing in Math and Chemistry, she finds immense joy in helping her students understand complex concepts and witnessing their "light-bulb moments" of comprehension.

There are many proud moments as a tutor, but recently she worked with a young lady who struggled with her motivation to learn and even struggled to attend school due to mental health anxiety. After their first session, she told Trinity she hadn't enjoyed school at all in the past few months and had barely done any schoolwork. After their first tutoring session, her jest to learn was reignited and she looked forward to learning again.

Veronica earned her Behavioral Therapist and Behavioral Science Bachelor's Degree and tutors all academic subjects from reading, science, and mathematics. Veronica’s favorite subject is English and is amused by the amazing power of a good book.

Congratulations to Yulia Song, our April Firefly Tutor of the Month! She has been working with Firefly Tutors for seven month and has been tutoring, teaching, and mentoring for five years. The subjects she tutors are mathematics, reading comprehension, language skills, English, and science.

Introducing Tai Du, our exceptional Tutor of the Month for June 2024! Tai, who resides in Huntington Beach, CA brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Firefly Tutors with his impressive academic background and dedication to teaching.

Introducing Seirra Wolfe, our esteemed Tutor of the Month for May 2024! Sierra comes from the vibrant city of Auburn, CA, and has become a vital member of our Firefly Tutors team since joining us last December.

We are thrilled to announce Madison Hoover as our Tutor of the Month for July 2024! Based in sunny San Diego, CA, Madison brings a remarkable blend of expertise and enthusiasm to Firefly Tutors.

Introducing Santiago Liera Campos, our esteemed Tutor of the Month for August 2024! Santiago, resides in the vibrant city of Davis, CA, and brings a dynamic blend of expertise and enthusiasm to Firefly Tutors.

Introducing Danelle Barr, our outstanding Tutor of the Month for September 2024! Danelle resides in the beautiful city of Laguna Niguel, CA, and has been a valuable member of the Firefly Tutors team for a year. She brings over 20 years of experience working with children.