Our Team

Art of Problem Solving was founded by Richard Rusczyk in 2003 to create interactive educational opportunities for avid math students. Richard is the author or a co-author of 7 AoPS textbooks and a past Director of the USA Mathematical Talent Search. He was a participant in National MATHCOUNTS, a three-time participant in the Math Olympiad Summer Program, and a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner (1989). He received the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions Paul Erdös Award in 2014. He graduated from Princeton University in 1993, and worked as a bond trader for D.E. Shaw & Company for four years. AoPS marks Richard's return to his vocation - educating motivated students.

In 2014, Glen founded a learning center in Morrisville, North Carolina, that two years later became the first AoPS Academy campus. Glen served as the National Director of AoPS Academy until his retirement in 2019. He has experience as a college math professor, statistician, and expert SAS programmer. He has been a professional math tutor for many years, and specializes in training academically-advanced and high-performing math students. Glen is a graduate of Duke University and holds a graduate degree in statistics from Boston University.

Anatole is the Campus Director for AoPS Academy Santa Clara. Having earned an IB Diploma in high school, he went on to pursue a dual BA from Vassar College in mathematics and Chinese. He has been passionate about the exploration of math since he was 13, when he accidentally derived the quadratic formula and realized math was more about logic than numbers. His varied interests have led him to jobs in investor relations, veterinary medicine, daycare, and comedy, but the siren call of math education has always brought him back. Anatole has taught diverse math students in Beijing, New York, and San Diego. He speaks French, Mandarin, and Spanish, and doodles Fibonacci spirals to relax.

Sonia is an Associate Director for AoPS Academy Santa Clara. She is an experienced teacher, tutor and advisor who has worked with students of all ages. Sonia was a lecturer of English composition and literature at various colleges within the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. In addition to her MA and BA in English literature from California State University: Northridge, Sonia has a degree in behavioral sciences with an emphasis in psychology. Having been educated in both the U.K and the U.S, Sonia offers a global perspective on classroom management. Sonia's primary teaching objective is to help students see the connections between what they learn inside of the classroom with what they do outside of the classroom. Sonia is a published author, her essay "The Voices of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishad in T.S Eliot's The Waste Land” was featured in The International Journal of Language and Literature. When Sonia is not teaching, she is either traveling with her family or enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in hand.

Part of the AoPS team since 2019 at the Bellevue, Pleasanton, Fremont and Santa Clara campuses, Tandis graduated with a bachelor's degree in Spanish with a minor in psychology, as well as a master's degree in linguistics. Having taught in multiple capacities for the last 8 years including in China for a year, she comes with multicultural teaching experience. She currently also teaches ESL to international students at Mission College. A Bay Area native, Tandis enjoys the lovely beauty of California but spends a lot of her free time traveling the world to satiate her appetite for learning about different people and cultures. She always takes her little Pomeranian on all her adventures.

Portia is an Associate Director for AoPS Academy Santa Clara. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in political science and a teaching credential from SFSU, Portia began her career in education by teaching history and English in the US and China. Returning to the Bay Area to be closer to family, she spent seven wonderful years as an elementary school teacher and a director of a learning program for neurodiverse students. After obtaining a nursing degree, she worked in small villages in Cambodia and Nicaragua and loves serving her global and local communities through healthcare and education. Her primary goal teaching children is to build their confidence by giving them the tools they need to succeed because with every success, they become eager to tackle new goals and challenges. In her free time, she loves going on hikes, playing board games, and traveling, but her favorite thing to do is spend time with her niece, the silliest and smartest girl she knows!

Alisha is the Santa Clara Administrative Coordinator, and enjoys helping students not only by encouraging them to learn, but by continually learning herself. Alisha believes knowledge is power. She has worked at places that have progressed her administrative & customer service skills astonishingly over the time of her career. When she is not assisting in tasks for the Academy, Alisha can be found surrounded by her children indulging in games & cooking. She has also discovered a new-found interest in learning the stock market.

Nallely is the Front Desk Associate at AoPS Santa Clara and loves to help others wherever she can. Nallely graduated from Mission College with her associate’s degree in business administration and economics. While earning her degree, she worked at Mission College’s DSPS where she assisted students with learning disabilities. Nallely strives to learn and grow continuously and hopes to encourage students to do the same. In her free time, Nallely can be found spending time with her family, catching up on reality TV, or cooking with her mom. She also loves going to new places and trying new things with her family all the time. She also enjoys collecting various pins and has a pin collection of over 100 pins.

Abirami is currently a senior in high school and aspires to pursue bioengineering in the future. From a young age, she has been fond of mathematics and language arts because the former explores problem solving and the latter allows creative thinking. Outside of being a teaching assistant, Abirami helps teach public speaking to high school and middle school students and is often scouring the pages of The New England Journal of Medicine. Furthermore, she is an avid reader, enjoys baking, and loves drinking coffee!

Aakash is currently a senior in high school. He is privately homeschooled and takes courses through West Valley Community College along with a few other local community colleges. At a young age, he started learning through AoPS Online and was fascinated by mathematics and computer science (specifically cybersecurity related fields). Aakash works at West Valley as a tutor for science and mathematics and volunteers through the Evergreen Valley College Citizen Science Initiatives program to tutor under served K-12 students in Mathematics and Physics. While not at the classroom, Aakash enjoys spending time with his dog (An English Cream Golden Retriever) and reading about politics & the government (particularly through the Library of Congress or other government sources).

Avni enjoys teaching mathematics and language arts very much. She began taking advanced mathematic classes in middle school and loves the complexity of calculus. Avni teaches HTML and Javascript to middle school girls every Friday. Inspired by her father, she continues to inspire 11-15 year old girls to pursue a career in STEM and stretch the possibilities of what women can do in computer science and mathematics. When she is not teaching at AoPS, she is usually catching up on the news or writing her own articles about issues in her community. She always finds herself enjoying the drama of American politics. Additionally, she is a huge soccer fan and you can count on her watching every Arsenal or Liverpool match.

Tejas is currently a senior at Evergreen Valley High School, interested in computer science and data science. He’s been surrounded by math practically his whole life and loves the opportunity AoPS gives him to pass down what he’s learned to eager students. In the classroom, Tejas is often a teacher and a student - learning and participating in lessons while prompting the “lightbulb” to go off when an answer is reached. When he isn’t teaching math, Tejas is probably watching football, basketball, or baseball, with two of his favorite teams being the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants. He enjoys listening to music, volunteering, and biking.

Greg has been a math instructor at the Santa Clara AoPS campus since it opened in 2019. He greatly enjoys making math fun, interesting and educational! He has been tutoring students of all ability levels from elementary through high school for over twelve years. Greg has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UCSD and an MBA from SDSU. He is also a substitute math teacher, and taught graduate level summer school classes at SDSU. He has also taught database and spreadsheet classes to working professionals across Silicon Valley for many years. Greg was also Director of Finance for a Bay Area HMO and supervised a $60 million budget. When he isn’t teaching, Greg enjoys cycling, archery, and the great outdoors. He has a first-degree black belt in Shotokan karate, and taught martial arts at De Anza Jr. College. Greg also placed 4th at the Long Beach International Karate Championships.

Sharon is a senior instructor for AoPS Academy Santa Clara. She started with AoPS in 2019, and has taught in elementary education for 29 years. If she is not teaching, she loves to spend time with her family, enjoy time with her animals, and binge on Netflix. Teaching is not just a profession; it is her passion. Sharon is involved in an elementary school in a village in West Africa. She travels to Liberia and helps train the teachers and set up an after school program for motivated students.

Nataly has enjoyed math ever since she learned how to add. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with an option to teach, and just finished her Master of Science in mathematics at California State University East Bay. While earning her master’s degree at CSUEB, she worked as a graduate teaching associate and was the instructor of record for several courses including pre-calculus and college algebra. Additionally, she facilitated activity sections to support other math courses at CSUEB. At CSUEB, she was also a contributing author to the college algebra guided notes. Some of her greatest passions in life include math/problem solving and helping others. As a kid she tutored her younger cousins and friends in math, and she has volunteered as a tutor for the Youth Enrichment Program. She is currently adjunct math faculty at Holy Names University where she teaches math and statistics. When she is not busy following her teaching passion she enjoys brushing up on her math and computer coding skills, doing sudoku or any other type of puzzle with her son, doing yoga and spending time outdoors with her family and friends.

Jen's passion for teaching started at a young age. She got an early start by "schooling" her siblings in the garage during playtime. Jen then went on to get her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with an English minor at San Jose State University. She followed that with a Multiple Subject Credential and a master's degree in Instructional Technology from SJSU. She also spent a summer extending her knowledge at the Teachers College at Columbia University. She loved her 30-year career teaching English Language Arts and Art. Jen also spent 18 years coaching boys' and girls' basketball, volleyball and track. After retiring in 2020, she has been missing the students and will be coming in to substitute and joining the staff at AoPS. Outside of teaching Jen enjoys reading, Zentangling, Wordle, Fishdom and hanging out with friends and family.

Jeralynn (they/she) still remembers the frustration of not yet being able to read as a tiny child, and has been devouring books ever since. A love of the deep critical thinking necessary to good literary analysis lead to a double degree in comparative (world) literature and French. They have been an instructor in various fields, including horseback riding and traditional tea ceremonies, but returned their pedagogic focus back to reading and writing. Nothing will prepare young minds for success and empowerment quite like the language arts! Outside of education, when Jeralynn is not reading books, essays, and articles, she’s growing food in her garden and volunteering at sanctuaries for rescued farm animals.

Brooke earned her master's degree in English education from Columbia University Teachers College and has more than twelve years of teaching experience from grade five to the community college level. Passionate about professional development, she recently attended the Reading Institute at Teachers College and coached fellow teachers in their adoption of a new reading curriculum. She has always been drawn in by the power of words to help us think, feel, understand, and communicate with others. She enjoys coming up with new and effective ways to teach so that students don't just grasp the concept but also know its value and purpose. Brooke is a mother of two and loves to eat s'mores and tell stories around a campfire.

Lisa has been a math teacher for almost 20 years. Growing up loving all math and science classes, she majored in biology at UC Santa Cruz, with a focus in math, chemistry, and physics. She returned to Stanford University a few years later for a MA in teacher education and an emphasis in math education. For the past decade, she has loved developing her expertise in teaching struggling math learners in addition to her more extensive background of working with gifted math students. Lisa strives to bring mathematics to life for her students and to show them the beauty and inspiration of this subject. When she is not teaching or planning lessons, Lisa loves to garden, bake bread, hang out with her dog, and learn more about math and science.

Heather's love of reading, writing, and asking questions led her to study creative writing and English literature in college. She started her career as a journalist after graduating from San Francisco State University. Reporting on local to global issues has taken her around the world. She currently works in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. When she isn't writing about current events and travel and food, she's learning new skills and helping students develop their writing skills. Outside of the classroom she's checking out new restaurants, traveling, hiking, going to museums and events, reading, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and spending time with her partner, family, and friends.

Esther studied math at New York University where she earned her BS and went on to earn her MA in communication and education at Teacher's College, Columbia University. She enjoys teaching and working with all types of learners; Esther is constantly trying to find ways to engage her students in the learning process through collaborative group work or questioning. Nothing is more rewarding or satisfying to Esther than a student's “aha” moment! Esther is currently teaching high school math in San Jose, CA. When she's not lesson planning, solving math problems, grading or eating, Esther can be found playing volleyball or on the hunt for some tasty boba. She's always down for some boba recommendations!

Andrew was born and raised in Michigan and found a love for math from an early age. Spending an inordinate amount of his youth solving puzzles and contemplating multi-dimensional spaces, he eventually pursued biomedical engineering degrees at both the University of Michigan (bachelor’s) and Johns Hopkins University (PhD). There, he found a passion for scientific research, working on projects ranging from synthetic biology to brain-controlled prosthetic limbs, to object recognition in visual neuroscience. Throughout this time, Andrew also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to mentor and work with others, including serving as a teaching assistant and mentoring younger lab members. He is now excited to work with the young bright minds of the future! Outside of academic endeavors, Andrew likes to stay active. Hobbies include running, climbing, swing dancing, yoga, and basketball. His spontaneity and unpredictability has been known to drive his wife crazy from time to time, but they love each other very much (he thinks)!

Marcia has been teaching mathematics to students in grades 7-12 for 40+ years. She has a reputation for being kind and compassionate and for enabling students of varying academic levels to become more confident in their math abilities. She is particularly proud to serve as a role model for girls and to foster the idea that math is for everyone. She engages her students with a variety of fun and challenging logic and problem solving activities. She has served as the club advisor for Girls Who Code and Math Club and served as a Mathcounts coach. Marcia was born and raised in Chicago, where she began her teaching career. She and her husband moved to California in 1986. She loves to read (crime dramas/mysteries), garden, hike and travel. She has an adult daughter who lives and works in New York City.

As a child, Shelley wanted to be a writer. While she still dreams of having her stories published, she has since found that she really enjoys helping young people find their own love of writing, reading, and language. Shelley received her B.A. in language studies from UC Santa Cruz, as well as her master's degree in linguistics and her single subject teaching credential in English from SJSU. She has been teaching middle school ELA in San Jose for the past eight years. Outside of school, Shelley spends as much time as possible with her family, listening to music, crafting projects, playing board games, and cooking.

Darius always had a strong suit in math - his interest and love of mathematics prompted him to earn his bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in applied math, focusing on computational math. He's from Iran, and moved here 10 years ago! He's been team leader at two different retail stores, as well as a math instructor to 116 middle school students last semester! Away from work, he has a few hobbies to keep him busy: he plays, records, and listens to music; he plays (and watches 4 AM showings of) soccer every other weekend; and goes for long drives and hikes with his loving partner. Darius is detail-oriented, thorough, and easy to approach, as well as ready to teach some math to knowledge-hungry students!

Dr. Du has been teaching math to students from middle school through college for more than 15 years. He holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Ottawa and an MS in information and systems science from Carleton University. Dr. Du teaches math at De Anza College, tutors students in SAT math, and coaches competitors for the AMC 8/10/12. Outside the classroom, he enjoys hiking, swimming, and music.

Pete loves learning new math and teaching and tutoring local students. His favorite thing is when his students persevere in solving hard math problems! Pete has a PhD in biochemistry from UC Berkeley and specialized in X-ray crystallography, a field that took him deep into applied math. Pete enjoys the ways that math is elegant as well as interesting and spends his free time tracking local birdlife and visualizing the data from his observations using graphs and histograms.

Casey has taught all levels of math from kindergarten to high school pre-calculus. As a math instructor, she enjoys working with students to dissect math problems and create algorithms for solving more complex problems that require higher levels of abstract thinking. The problem-solving strategies she has developed over the years have culminated in her book called “Study Hacks,” which has helped students improve from D+ grades to earn A+'s and break from A- grade plateaus, landing students in platinum A+ territory. Casey holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from the University of California, Irvine and completed her medical school coursework at the Drexel University College of Medicine.

Once Beth started volunteering in her children’s classrooms, she knew she had found her calling. Shifting gears, she ditched her career in business and earned a teaching credential. Beth then spent two consecutive summers honing her skills at The Teachers College at Columbia University. She draws on her lifelong love of language and a degree in communications from San Diego State University to teach English Language Arts and public speaking. Ultimately, she wants all of her students to not only read, write, and speak well, but to thoroughly enjoy doing so. Outside of school, she hikes, travels, and spends time with her husband and family. She also fits hanging out with friends and spoiling her dog, Cocoa, into her busy schedule. And she’s obsessed with music!

Miranda’s love for history inspired her to earn a BA in history from CSU Chico and a MA in modern American history from SJSU. Eager to understand the world, she studied abroad in Bilbao, Spain where she began her teaching career and traveled through Europe. Miranda has been teaching children of all ages for 8 years, beginning with teaching English abroad to teaching 8th grade United States history today. Miranda’s passion for understanding the past grew into a larger mission to help her students understand the importance of examining events that occurred in American history and identifying trends and ideas that have created today’s society. Outside of her teaching career, she loves to rollerblade, read, play sports, takes strolls on the beach, travel, and simply stay at home and hang out with her furry friends Diana and Duke.

Erin has always loved math. Her math love lead her to a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University in Utah. While she worked on her bachelor's, Erin joined a study abroad program in Peru where she used her knowledge to teach others how to solve their everyday problems. After earning her degree Erin started working as a manufacturing engineer, but that spark from teaching others eventually led her to a master's degree in teaching from the University of California, Irvine. After 4 years of teaching elementary school, Erin is now teaching middle school math during the day and AoPS students at night! When she's not teaching, Erin can usually be found in a different state or country. Erin is now over halfway to visiting every state in the USA!

James is a family oriented and math-minded individual. He loves problem solving, logic puzzles, and academia in general. He double majored at U.C. Berkeley in statistics and geology. Most of all, James really loves teaching, particularly when it comes to educating young minds. His other interests include playing a variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, and soccer. James enjoys many other facets of fitness as well, such as cycling, swimming, and hiking.

Katrina discovered her passion for education when she was just ten years old serving as a volunteer teaching assistant at the pre-school across the street from her childhood home. Her love for teaching continued as she got to pursue additional opportunities for teaching like the Peninsula Bridge Program. Ultimately, Katrina hopes to encourage curiosity and empathy in her students so they can be well-rounded learners. In addition to teaching, Katrina works as a clinical research coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School where she seeks to provide care and social opportunities to the geriatric population. She has degrees in both English and neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine. When she isn’t working, Katrina loves to read (or re-read) classic novels, bake cookies, and knit scarves for her loved ones.

Peter owes his interest and ability in mathematics to his mother, who was a teacher before marrying a dairy farmer in upstate New York and raising a family of five boys. Peter learned about sports and the dairy business from his father and would study milk production tables and baseball statistics, honing his ability in mathematics. Peter obtained a master’s degree in mathematics from SUNY Potsdam, a college specializing in education, mathematics, computer science, and music. He then moved to California and completed a long career at Hewlett-Packard, where he was an engineer and manager. Peter's specialty at Hewlett-Packard was problem solving, and this was his favorite activity, He has since returned to his favorite subject of mathematics and thoroughly enjoys teaching and tutoring students. Outside of teaching, you will often see Peter jogging in his neighborhood, singing at his local church, or playing his trumpet. He also enjoys reading and hiking.

Atul started his math education career in 2013. Since then, he has taught math to hundreds of students as well as designed and managed curriculum for dozens of private schools across the US. Atul loves working with children and strives to motivate each child in his class with just the right amount of challenge. His passion is to turn abstract ideas into vivid real-world demonstrations that leave no doubt in a student’s mind as to the meaning and value of a concept. Atul believes his STEM background helps him tremendously in this regard: he holds a PhD in meteorology from University of Miami and an engineering physics degree from IIT Delhi. When he is not working on math, Atul loves to play tennis, watch dramas, or study history.

Indrani is passionate about English literature and loves to share her literary ideas with young inquisitive minds. She started teaching while she was pursuing her master's degree in English literature in Kolkata, and spent a year as a guest lecturer of English in Oxford School of Management, Bangalore. After earning teaching credentials from Bangalore University where she was a university rank holder, she worked as a high school teacher in a reputed institution in Bangalore and a member of CISCE evaluators team. Here in California, she is working as an English language instructor in various learning centers in the Bay Area. She loves creative writing, writing travelogues, stories and has articles published in newspapers. She was the school coordinator for a children's newspaper publication from ‘The Times of India' and encouraged her students in publication of their write ups. Outside academics, she loves to experiment with her culinary skills, travelling with family and friends, and gardening with her son.

Marina’s fascination for mathematics started as a child, when she learned that the entire field of Euclidean geometry was built upon just a handful of axioms. From then on, she knew she’d be studying math and science for the rest of her life. She eventually studied geophysics (at Brown University and Stanford University), a multidisciplinary field applying mathematics and physics to study our planet. She found early on that her passion for math and science included sharing of knowledge when her friends frequently brought their questions to her, which led to her first job as a tutor all the way back in high school. She has been teaching math and science at various levels ever since. When she is not teaching, she loves to play video games, listen to K-Pop, and cuddle with her cats.

Chris taught English at the middle school and fifth grade levels for 18 years at various San Jose Unified School District schools before retiring in 2020. Chris also offers one-to-one creative writing tutoring for students in grades 2-10, and has taught four award-winning clients. She published her first novel in 2018 and released a nonfiction title in 2019. She is writing four more novels at the current time and working on a tutoring series. Chris has a B.A.in English Literature with High College Honors, a B.S. in Biology, and an M.A. in Teaching with Reading Specialization. Her novels and stories incorporate myths, cryptids, regional traditions, and historical settings. She enjoys writing for her students and for her tutoring business. Outside of teaching, tutoring, and writing, she enjoys gardening, reading, and travel. She and her husband live in Sunnyvale with more books than necessary and two rescue kitties.

Traptilisa’s greatest passion in life is teaching math and science. Her interest in teaching stems not just from her commitment to quality education, but also her desire to enrich the lives of students. She has been tutoring and teaching middle school to college-level students for 14 years in various settings – tutoring small and large groups, individual private tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings. She is currently adjunct physics faculty at Foothill College, Los Altos. Her background includes a BS in mathematics, a master’s degree in physics from India and an MS in physics from San Jose State University. Outside the classroom, she likes to solve math puzzles and enjoys hiking and spending time with her son.

Deepti has always been passionate about teaching mathematics and science. Her interests made her start teaching students when she was in high school. Since then, she has been privately tutoring and teaching these subjects to middle and high school students. She secured 1st rank during her bachelor's degree, and was awarded a "Gold Medal" for securing 1st rank during her master's program in physics at the University of Kota, India. She has worked as a physics faculty member for the IIT-JEE foundation level at Base Educational Centre, Bangalore. She strongly believes that meaningful math education goes beyond memorizing formulas and procedures. Thus she encourages high goal setting and working with students to develop a strong foundation. Outside of teaching, she likes hiking, listening to music, and dancing, and also loves to spend time with her family.

Kendra loves the concreteness and creativity of math, and she enjoys engaging with students who also love exploring and understanding new concepts. She is a preschool teacher in Santa Clara going on her third year, but she has her bachelor’s degree in child life psychology, and is currently working on her master’s degree in counseling abnormal psychology. She has worked as a math tutor for two years, teaching bundling to kindergarteners all the way up to exponential equations and pre-trigonometry to 8th graders. Her favorite thing about working with younger students is creating a safe environment for them to learn and explore new, and sometimes hard, concepts. The look of accomplishment on their faces when they are able to apply what they’ve learned to their own work, nothing beats that! In her spare time, she loves singing with the worship team at her church and eating lots of poke.

Liam is a math competition fanatic, having participated for a decade and coached for the majority of that time. He majored in math at Arizona State, pursuing a more theoretical look at the wonders of the world around us and the patterns within it. Liam has previously worked with students in Phoenix and the Bay Area for various contest prep, including MathCounts Nationals and ARML. He has also served as a teaching assistant at the high school and undergraduate levels. When not teaching, Liam enjoys science fiction novels, chess, and playing the piano. He also appreciates a good cartoon binge, or a relaxing hike.

Leslie’s love of language started in her school days when she was exposed to the depth of reading, writing, and literary analysis. This quiet spark led her to study English literature at UC Irvine. She also completed the Professional Sequence in Editing at UC Berkeley Extension. She’s had experience in tutoring, teaching English, and copyediting poetry and fiction manuscripts at a local literary journal and press. In her free time, Leslie loves to be out in nature, go to art museums, watch movies, volunteer in her community, travel with family, and drink boba milk tea with her friends! Mainly, she wants to inspire the same passion for the written word that she had as a student to the generations that come after. After all, that’s where it all started.

Ahrin was born in South Korea but moved to San Jose as a child where she discovered her love of reading at the local library. Ahrin graduated with high distinction from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a BA in English and a minor in sociology. She is currently working on earning a MA in secondary English education at the University of California, Berkeley. In the classroom, she loves showing students their strengths and refining their analytical skills. Being able to construct and deconstruct an argument is vital in today's world and she hopes to teach others how to do it well. When she isn't at school, Ahrin enjoys knitting with her two cats, watching bad horror movies, and going to local bookstores.

Lorena loves teaching mathematics at a wide spectrum of levels, ranging from elementary school through college. She earned her Math in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, in Canada. Currently, she is working on obtaining a MA in teaching and a teaching credential at the University of Santa Clara. Lorena has been tutoring math since she was an undergrad in Mexico and loves helping her students to gain strong math foundations and most importantly, self confidence in their math abilities. When she is not in the classroom, either as a teacher or as a student, she enjoys exploring the many ecological corners that our planet offers.

Uma has been very passionate about teaching since her childhood. Inspired by her father who was a high school math and science teacher, she used to tutor her peers in school and college. Uma was a valedictorian in high school and university, and always loved math and math riddles. She earned a master’s degree in materials science and metallurgical engineering from IIT Kanpur and has research experience in computational modeling of materials from IIT Bombay. She worked as an Assistant Professor in College of Engineering Pune, India, where she taught engineering undergraduates. She is also a home educator for her homeschooling kid. She believes in student-centered pedagogy and nurturing critical thinking & analytical skills. Uma is a trained Indian Carnatic singer and enjoys singing, writing stories, photography and biking. She also does volunteering in schools and non profit organizations whenever possible.

Rama has always loved math and teaching, both a credit to her family’s teaching lineage and “one can learn anything” mentality. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Rutgers University and worked in the banking industry in NYC for a few years. She stayed home with her two daughters and in watching them learn at school, decided to go back for her mathematics teaching credential and a master’s degree in education. She taught advanced math in middle school and has tutored middle and high school students. Rama believes that a strong foundation in fundamental mathematics and reasoning is critical to mastery. Rama loves to cook and bake with and for her family.. She is an avid reader, learner, and traveler. She has traveled to over 10 countries, nearly half the states in this country, and 25 national parks. Her current project is to learn Sanskrit to read and understand ancient Hindu texts.

Sharon’s affinity for reading literature prompted her to pursue a degree in writing. Sharon received her bachelor's degree in English with double minors in Asian American Studies and Education Studies from UC Los Angeles. During her undergraduate years, Sharon's enthusiasm for writing and community building led her to become a workshop facilitator, where she taught more than 200 students in Los Angeles County and Orange County about writing, professional development, and community building. She believes that everyone has a unique story to tell, and the power to do so through the written word. That's why she is committed to supporting students and building their confidence in reading and writing. In her free time, she likes to go on walks with her pet Chihuahua, visit libraries or local bookstores, and lift weights at the gym.

Lisa was amazed at the simplicity behind complexity in mathematics when she was a kid. After obtaining a PhD in computer science, she worked for high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for over 10 years as a software researcher and developer. Her research has mainly involved mathematics, statistics, and advanced algorithms in computer science. The last project she has worked on in the tech industry is deep learning-based 2D and 3D perception for self driving cars. In the past few years, her interest has shifted to the financial industry and equity analysis. Most recently, after she tutored her 9 year old son, she learned that she loves to teach math, especially competitive math, to kids. When she is not working, she likes reading, exercising, and traveling.

Jennifer believes when students make meaningful connections in their learning process, they will thrive in knowledge and understanding. Currently working on a doctorate degree in educational psychology, Jennifer has also acquired a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Shasta Bible College & Graduate School and a BS in counseling psychology from Jessup University. Jennifer loves it when her students develop and successfully apply their language arts skills in communication, text, problem-solving skills, or in practically every aspect of their everyday lives. When not in the classroom or writing doctoral papers, Jennifer reads cookbooks, is an avid runner, traveler, and will cook for a party of two or a hundred. While a vegetarian, her husband recently gifted her with a Traeger grill because he believes carnivores need to enjoy her cooking skills as well.

Priya has a strong passion for teaching math, and she earned a bachelors degree in math in India. She strongly believes that logical and critical thinking is the foundation for math, and she loves to give math puzzles in class. The reason she chose Art of Problem Solving Academy is because of the academy’s challenging curriculum. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys cooking and loves visiting museums and spending time with her family.

Sandhya’s passion for teaching math was instilled through decades of watching her mom teach with utmost passion. She has an engineering degree in computer science from India and a master's degree in teaching from Rossier School of Education (USC). Sandhya first came across Beast Academy when her daughter was 6, and has been an ardent fan ever since. Sandhya self-identifies as a “carb-ivore” and strongly believes that travel is the best teacher. Her favorite pastime is sleep, though she also enjoys hand embroidery, reading, hiking and traveling.

Marc Roth is a veteran math teacher. He has a B.A. and a secondary teaching credential from U.C. Berkeley. He is also a math circle instructor for students and teachers, a conference presenter, and a curriculum designer.

Lovepreet is a design engineer who loves teaching mathematics and complex problem-solving by creating a fun and interactive learning environment that encourages questions and discussions. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UC Davis. While studying at UC Davis, he also worked as a tutor for the engineering department, where he tutored many students with various skill and knowledge levels. Lovepreet believes tutoring sessions should be a safe space for students to try new approaches to their work and feel comfortable making mistakes, as mistakes can often lead to the best learning experiences. In his spare time, Lovepreet likes running, hiking, and playing tennis to keep himself physically active, and he is also passionate about learning new technologies and advancements in the industry.

Ashley’s passion for teaching started at a young age. She began tutoring in middle school and continued doing so privately, at a tutoring center, and at her university throughout college, gaining experience teaching students in every age range. An East Coast native, Ashley earned her bachelor's degree in biological sciences and biomedical engineering and her master's degree in health care policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. During the week, she works as a Project Manager for Stanford Health Care. Having only recently moved to California in May of 2022, Ashley is still exploring the Bay Area in her free time, occasionally joined by her Yorkie. In addition to touring locally, Ashley hopes to soon pick up her international traveling adventures, which were put on hold due to COVID. She also enjoys hiking and baking in her spare time, though still a novice at both activities.

For the past 14 years, Amy Stenberg has been an elementary school teacher in a variety of grades. Her passion for teaching was ignited in college where she earned a Bachelor of Science in child and adolescent studies, followed by a multiple subject teaching credential, and later her master's degree in education. As a college undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton, she participated in a program that took her to Shanghai, China. There, she had her first experience leading a class as an English teacher for primary students. That experience began her love of working with children to help them be as successful as they can. The opportunity to work with the youth by supporting their education and inspiring their minds and potential has always been her purpose.

Jaya loves problem solving. Whether it’s puzzles, a tricky math problem or a strategy game, she is always up for the challenge! She holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from BITS Pilani, India and worked as a software engineer. After moving to the Bay Area, Jaya has been helping her children prepare for math competitions. She believes in building strong foundations to equip her students to become creative problem solvers and lifelong learners. Outside of math, Jaya enjoys cooking, spending time with her daughters, and getting creative with DIY projects!

Katherine enjoys helping students learn that math is “mathemagical” while encouraging them to develop a positive and growth mindset throughout their math experience. She reminds her students, "you know more than you think you do.” As an educator of 25 years (and going), she has taught students from first through eighth grade, with her last nine years focused on middle school mathematics. Katherine holds a multiple subject teaching credential, MS in math education, and a Tier 1 Administrative Credential. Katherine also enjoys attending and presenting workshops at local, state and national conferences to strengthen connections and staying current on best teaching practices. Her other interests include staying active with hiking, biking, sports, visiting her favorite place, Capitola Beach, as well as spending time with her family and three cats.

Shanshan loves teaching math. She earned a BS in applied math from Wuhan University in China and a PhD in applied math from Stony Brook University. She has been teaching students at all levels of math subjects ever since she was in college. Her favorite part of teaching is to ask challenging questions to inspire students to think deeper. She thrives in helping students build solid foundations in math by doing math games and projects. Her goal in teaching math is to help students explore their greatest potential with the subject. During her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, organizing the home and learning piano.

Emily Hall graduated with a B.A. in English from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. For over a decade, Emily has taught English to K-12 students at schools, learning centers, and private tutorials. She was also a visiting lecturer at Hong Kong Polytechnic University when she was living overseas. Having taught both Native English Learners as well as English as a Second Language students, Emily has enjoyed teaching both in Silicon Valley as well as abroad in Asia. In particular, she is very familiar with working with students who have grown up in dual cultures with bilingual or even trilingual backgrounds and is very excited to be a Language Arts Instructor at AoPS in Santa Clara. During her down time, Emily enjoys watching comedies, hiking scenic trails, attending festive music events, and traveling to relaxing destinations near and far.