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MEET THE TEAM

Meet the Team: Text

RUSSELL LI

Founder/Tutor

Russell Li is a class of 2022 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. He has received Scholastic Art and Writing Awards national gold and silver medals and thirteen gold keys in the critical essay, short story, dramatic script, and journalism genres. For three newspaper articles he has written, Russell received the Best of SNO distinction, an award given by a national journalistic organization of 450 schools. He has also qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).

Russell has extensively tutored middle and high school students on subjects such as math, English, and public speaking both inside and outside of his school for four years. He has also taught kids from ages 6-12 at STEM summer camps at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for several years. Among other hobbies such as reading and running, he enjoys playing tennis, competing in the USTA Super Championship division, and he will serve as a captain of his school's varsity tennis and cross country teams next year.

MICHELLE CAI

Director/Tutor

Michelle Cai is a class of 2022 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She loves math, science, English, and Spanish and is open to tutoring all subjects. Having worked with kids at the Nehemiah Center and Love Elementary, she has plenty of tutoring experience. In addition, she founded a community service project that donates origami cranes to kids at the Texas Children's Hospital, co-founded the school's Ted-Ed Club, and serves as the fine arts editor for the school yearbook.

Her other hobbies and activities include piano, for which she has received many awards over 10 years, running cross country and track, cooking, reading, and painting.

MACKENZIE RICE

Director/Tutor

Mackenzie Rice is in the class of 2024 at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about building social support networks, viewing community as a crucial component of personal and academic success. Mackenzie loves tutoring and has given hundreds of sessions over the past year. Additionally, she serves as a camp counselor at a camp for children with disabilities and has experience volunteering in preschool and elementary classrooms. Outside of school, Mackenzie plays softball and relaxes with her puppy. Mackenzie is excited to assist K-8 students in core curriculum subjects (English/language arts, science, math, social studies) as well as French, test prep, and writing development. She values parent involvement and thus looks forward to working with you and your student!

VIKRAM SHAH

Director/Tutor

Vikram Shah is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. Before moving to Houston, he lived in New York for 13 years. His passions are science, math, and photography. He competes for the St. John’s Science Olympiad team and has medaled at the state and regional competitions. In his spare time, Vikram takes photos, designs pages for the St. John’s yearbook, and reads.


For the past three years, Vikram has tutored elementary and middle school children in English and Math through Summer Express. This year he is a student leader for the Summer Express program where he has helped to organize and distribute educational materials for the students. 

ELLA CHEN

Tutor

Ella is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about math, science and history. In addition, she is a leader of the Women of Color Affinity Group and a member of the school newspaper and literary magazine. Outside of school, Ella enjoys reading, drawing, baking and playing piano. 


In the past, Ella has tutored elementary and middle school students in English and math but is open to and excited about tutoring all subjects.

OLIVER MAGDOL

Tutor

Oliver is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. He is passionate about education, and he has been teaching at Breakthrough Houston for 4 years now as well as doing private tutoring on the side. Oliver has primarily taught kids in middle school, but he has experience working with Lower School and High School students. His subjects of expertise are Algebra and English (having won Scholastic writing awards), but he enjoys teaching a variety of other subjects as well. Additionally, he is well-equipped to provide ACT tutoring, and he is trained to tutor those with extra time accommodations. Outside of school, Oliver participates in wrestling, works in construction, and enjoys giving back through community service.

ASHLEY YEN

Tutor

Ashley Yen is a class of 2022 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX.  She is an Online Editor-in-Chief for her school's newspaper and the founder of Kits 2 Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides STEM resources to underserved children, hospitalized children, and girls. Outside of school, she also enjoys playing golf, baking, and spending time with friends and family.


In the past, Ashley has tutored students in math, science, and English, but she is excited to tutor all subjects and grade levels.

JESSIE BECK

Tutor

Jessie Beck is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School. She is especially passionate about STEM. She has experience working with kids through various volunteer opportunities at children-centered organizations including the Nehemiah Center and Tiny House of Treasures. Additionally, Jessie worked as a counselor at Southside Camp and has helped coach many softball camps and pitching clinics. She also tutored through Summer Express this year, so she loves working with and mentoring kids. Jessie plays varsity soccer and softball at St. John’s, starting as a freshman on both teams and continuing to play since. Outside of school, Jessie enjoys drawing, reading, and playing guitar.

MATTHEW PEREZ

Tutor

Matthew is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Matthew has moved cities multiple times and has been to 8 different schools. Despite this, his love for math has never failed to motivate him to learn. Matthew has always been strong in math and science, and he will continue his interests in STEM while taking AP Calculus BC and Honors Physics next year. 


Passionate about community service, Matthew is an officer for the Community Service Committee at his school. In his free time, Matthew is a proud member of the St. John’s Varsity Wrestling Team. Despite starting the sport as a freshman, Matthew held the starting spot at 126 pounds and won an award for the most improved wrestler. He also loves being a part of student council, having served as the sophomore vice president.

AFRAAZ MALICK

Tutor

Afraaz is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. He is passionate about Math, Latin, and Science classes. Currently, he is taking AP Calculus AB, AP Latin, and Chemistry Honors. In addition, he is the Co-President of the Neuroscience and Psychological Studies Club and an active member of the school newspaper.


Outside of school, he enjoys tutoring and Bollywood dance. He looks forward to working with many of you!

NICHOLAS PLANA

Tutor

Nicholas is a class of 2022 student at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. He is passionate about math, sports, and his culture. Nicholas is a first-generation American Latino who enjoys serving others in his community. Nicholas is a vice-chair of the Latinos Unidos Affinity Group, Officer on the French Club board, teen leader of the Shul of Bellaire, and member of the Varsity Wrestling team. In his free time, Nicholas enjoys playing golf and hanging with his friends.


Nicholas enjoys learning and sharing his knowledge with others. Throughout the past summers, he has taken several online college courses. Over the past two summers, Nicholas has volunteered at Berry Elementary and tutored students from Brazil through the “English Connection” program.

VEDA CHILAKAPATI

Tutor

Veda is a class of 2023 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. This year, she received a gradewide Spanish academic excellence award and a Scholastic Gold Key for her personal memoir. In her free time, she plays volleyball and tennis and serves as a member of the St. John’s School Community Service Board. Veda has always been passionate about making a positive impact in her community and adores working with kids. She has tutored for many organizations in the past, including: Small Steps, the Nehemiah Center, Etoile Academy, the RISE school, Avondale House, Berry Elementary, and Summer Express.

Veda’s favorite subjects are English, math, Spanish, and history. She is excited to tutor all subjects and grade levels.

BRAYDEN MI

Tutor

Brayden is a class of 2023 student at St. John's School. He is part of the school Science Olympiad team for which he has received medals and ribbons in numerous statewide competitions. He has been studying Chinese for 9 years and Spanish for 4 years. He plays both the Piano and the Saxophone and has received merits and distinction on ABRSM music and music theory tests. Brayden's favorite subjects are Math, Language (Chinese and Spanish), Science, and Engineering.

AMIRA STOCKS

Tutor

Amira is a class of 2023 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. She is interested in STEM and medicine. She currently is working with WalkStrong Africa and Project CURE to increase medical access in underserved countries. She gets involved in her community through her work with St. John’s Community Service and as vice president of the Middle Eastern, North African affinity group. Amira also plays on both the varsity volleyball and varsity softball teams. Her favorite subject to tutor is math, but she is also willing to tutor almost all middle school subjects.

DIYA KODGIRE

Tutor

Diya is a class of 2024 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about community service, and won an award for her number of hours. Diya has taught kids from the ages of 4-9 at Five Star Tutoring for a year, she also has a younger sister that she tutors quite often, giving her some experience in working with kids. Her subject of expertise is math, though she can help in other areas as well. Outside of school, Diya enjoys participating in dance and likes reading in her free time.

LUCY JANSSENS

Tutor

Lucy is a 2025 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX.  She is passionate about math and Spanish and earned the St. John’s Scholar award for the 2020-2021 school year.  Lucy has played the piano and the violin since she was in kindergarten, and started playing the saxophone in fifth grade.  She plays the violin in the school orchestra and the saxophone in the school band.  She also plays lacrosse at school and for a club team.  Lucy received Grand Recognition from the Duke Talent Identification Program’s Seventh Grade Talent Search, which recognizes 7th-grade students that score above the 90th percentile on the ACT or SAT when compared to college-bound high school students.  She would love to teach elementary and middle school math, science, English, and Spanish.

SHREYES BALACHANDRAN

Tutor

Shreyes is a class of 2024 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. He believes that access to knowledge should be universal and is one of the most important methods to achieve self-empowerment. To this end, he has taught students through the Breakthrough Houston program. His favorite subjects include math, science, and history, which he further pursues through participation in his school's nationally-competitive quiz bowl team. Outside of academic pursuits, he enjoys singing and listening to history podcasts.

MARY HO

Tutor

Mary is a rising sophomore at St. John’s School in her hometown, Houston, TX. She has tutored several students in the past and strives to create a strong sense of connection and understanding between the tutee and herself. She excels at elementary and middle school math and English, but she also loves teaching elementary Spanish. As a community service officer at her school, she promotes the idea of giving back in any way one can. Mary also participates in year-round soccer and plays the violin in the school orchestra.

ELIZABETH REED

Tutor

Elizabeth is in the class of 2023 at St. John’s. She is very passionate about science, history, and Spanish. Apart from academics, Elizabeth enjoys participating in cross country, swimming, track, dance, Model UN, and various other clubs. Additionally, she absolutely loves to tutor elementary and middle school kids and in the past has tutored and worked with kids and adults from the Nehemiah Center, Soul Bilingue, Summer Express, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Her goal for tutoring is to help kids learn and understand new content while having fun,as learning should be!!

KRISTEN LEE

Tutor

Kristen is a class of 2025 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She has a special interest in math, reading, English, and Spanish, and can also help with preparation for the ISEE. Kristen is involved with various school community activities, such as being a part of the cheer, field hockey, and tennis teams. She loves all visual and performing arts, having done dance for 11 years, 8 of which at the Houston Ballet, and playing both the piano and cello for 7 years. Kristen has worked with students of many different ages and is open to teaching various subjects.

SERINA YAN

Tutor

Serina is a class of 2025 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about English, math, and visual arts, earning Scholastic Gold Keys for both art and writing in 2021. As a student council officer, Serina is an active member of the school community. In addition, due to her strong work ethic and love of learning, Serina consistently earns high grades, previously receiving her grade's scholar award. Specializing in math and writing, Serina wants to help you excel, and can't wait to work with you! Outside of the classroom, she enjoys playing tennis and piano, as well as reading and drawing.

JENNIFER LIU

Tutor

Jennifer Liu is a class of 2025 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She is experienced in both writing and the fine arts. In writing, Jennifer won a regional Scholastic Writing Silver Key in 2021 and is particularly adept at writing analyses of literary works and understanding literary devices. In the fine arts, Jennifer has played violin and piano for seven years and has taken art classes for five. She has placed first overall in the TMEA regional competition for violin for two consecutive years and has performed on various stages. Jennifer would love to provide help to students in search of finding their own voice, giving them the necessary techniques that will allow them to better express their stories and identity.

LORE LANIYAN

Tutor

Lore is a class of 2025 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She enjoys the sciences, history, and mathematics and is passionate about helping her community and different social movements. Elementary subjects are her preferred topic to teach, but she can also teach some middle school math. Her hobbies outside of school are playing field hockey, soccer, piano, and painting.

ENBAO CAO

Tutor

Enbao is a class of 2025 student at St. John's School in Houston TX. He is passionate about coding, science, math, and writing. This year, he has been given a Gold Key award for his short story. In addition, Enbao has played Quiz Bowl for about 3 years. His subject of expertise is elementary and middle school math, although he is eager to get a chance to tutor science or coding. Starting in October of 2020, he enthusiastically tutored middle school students in order to teach them mathematical concepts and prepare them for competitions. Outside of school, he enjoys playing the clarinet and piano and reads in his free time.

ARJUN MAITRA

Tutor

Arjun is a class of 2024 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. He is passionate about computer science and history. In addition, he participates in quiz bowl, plays tennis and is a data analytics editor of the school newspaper. Outside of school, Arjun enjoys reading and playing drums and video games. Last summer, Arjun tutored middle school students in quiz bowl and has helped tutor elementary school kids in math and coding.

GEORGIA A.

Tutor

Coming soon!

SHIVA A.

Tutor

Coming soon!

CHAAHAT B.

Tutor

Coming soon!

EVIE B.

Tutor

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MIA B.

Tutor

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DANIEL C.

Tutor

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AYAAN D.

Tutor

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PRAGYA D.

Tutor

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LILY H.

Tutor

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JANE M.

Tutor

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SARAH M.

Tutor

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NADIYA N.

Tutor

Coming soon!

AVA P.

Tutor

Coming soon!

KEVAL S.

Tutor

Coming soon!

LIA S.

Tutor

Coming soon!

MAX S.

Tutor

Coming soon!

HANNAH W.

Tutor

Coming soon!

RYAN W.

Tutor

Coming soon!

Meet the Team: List

CLASS OF 2021 TUTORS
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS!
THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

AYUSH SURESH

Founder/Tutor

Ayush Suresh is a class of 2021 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. He is passionate about STEM, being an avid computer programmer and entrepreneur. He currently competes in the United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO) Platinum division and is a winner of the 2018 SPARK for Autism Mobile App Competition with his team's app, Inquis. Additionally, he is a three-time National Latin Exam Summa Cum Laude awardee.


Ayush has taught computer science, math, and English frequently over the past five years, having led a computer science class at his middle school, computer science lectures at Bellaire High School and St. John's School, and math and English workshops for Bosnian students during his year as a Kennedy-Lugar scholar and youth ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, including basketball and running, as well as writing about history and literature.

LAUREN AGUILAR

Tutor

Lauren is a class of 2021 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about the intersection of STEM and social justice, and she helps foster a sense of unity at her own school through her work in Unity Council. Lauren has taught kids from ages 6-12 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for several years, and thus is experienced working with children.


Her subject of expertise is calculus, though she would like to branch out in other fields in STEM or in the humanities. She can also offer preparation for SAT level math. Outside of school, Lauren enjoys participating in theater and choir.

HANNAH CHANG

Tutor

Hannah is a class of 2021 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX. She has contributed to the St. John’s Varsity Girls’ tennis team since her freshman year and is ranked in the top 150 for girls under 18 in Texas as a United States Tennis Association Super Champ. Hannah also enjoys playing the piano, having reached a Diploma ABRSM level.


Her subjects of expertise include algebra (I and II), geometry, precalculus, physics, music theory, English (I, II, and AP Lang), piano, and test preparation (SAT, ACT, ISEE).

LAUREN FULGHUM

Tutor

Lauren is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. Lauren is extremely passionate about the intersection of STEM, language, and community service. At St. John’s, Lauren serves on the Student Affairs Council and the Community Service Board, where she is the Project Leader for tutoring at McReynolds Middle School. Lauren also volunteers at Small Steps Nurturing Center, tutoring students of a much younger age.


Lauren tutors students in both the English and Spanish language and works to create a close bond with the student, while tracking their progress and encouraging them to persevere when the topics become difficult. While Lauren has mainly tutored topics such as English reading and writing, and math, Lauren is open to tutoring any subjects. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys walks and hikes, as well as baking (especially birthday cakes).

JENNY GREEN

Tutor

Jenny is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about the intersection between STEM and the humanities, having done research at SJS about the ability of AI research to aid our understanding of language evolution and how best to teach language. Additionally, she is a two-time National Latin Exam Summa Cum Laude awardee. 


Jenny has enjoyed tutoring students in math, Latin, and English throughout her time in high school, and though she has the most experience in those subjects, she looks forward to branching out. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys singing, playing guitar, and cooking.

SOPHIA GROEN

Tutor

Sophia is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. She has always loved learning new things and is extremely passionate about empowering others to achieve their full academic potential. She has tutored students across Houston and participated in various community service projects dedicated to education. Her strengths lie in the areas of English and Language Arts, and she thoroughly enjoys tutoring all ages! She also specializes in preparing students for (P)SAT/ACT testing.

When she is not tutoring, she loves spending her time in the St. John’s School Fine Arts Department. She is passionate about it all, whether it be singing, acting, dancing, or even visual arts! As of 2020, Sophia places 1st in the state for choral vocal performance, and she has won awards for her musical theatre performances as well.

NAT LARSEN

Tutor

Nat is a class of 2021 student at St. John's School in Houston, TX.  Recognized for her writing, Nat received a Scholastic Gold key this year, in addition to publishing featured stories in the school newspaper and literary magazine, Imagination. Nat has traveled extensively and completed summer programs in Spain and at universities such as Rice, Stanford, and Columbia to further her studies. 


An experienced tutor, Nat worked with Breakthrough Houston throughout her junior year as a math teacher, offering weekly classes to seventh graders. In her free time, Nat enjoys running track and playing the alto saxophone. 

TRINITY LIAW

Tutor

Trinity is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. At SJS, she takes part in many clubs and organizations, including the school’s orchestra. She is also the captain of the girls’ 4-time consecutive state championship golf team. Specializing in STEM, she has done biochemistry research as a Welch Summer Scholar, focusing on the clinical insights mice muscle cells have to offer! Additionally, she founded the Houston chapter of a national non-profit: No Birthday Left Behind, an organization providing monthly birthday parties to children living in shelters.

Trinity has had previous experience tutoring grades 3-8 in all subjects, but she is happy to help anyone and everyone else! She specializes in math & the sciences (up to AP level) and test preparation (SAT & ISEE).

BAILEY MAIERSON

Tutor

Bailey Maierson is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. She is passionate about dance, journalism, and community service. For two articles she has written, Bailey has been awarded the Best of SNO (School Newspapers Online) distinction as well as the Quill & Scroll Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest distinction. 


As a project leader, Bailey has tutored elementary school students in basic math skills and English sight words at the Berry Elementary community service project for the last three years. Although the project moved to tutor kids at Love Elementary and this year was virtual, she was able to make educational materials, such as flashcards, for the students to use remotely.

JIM ROUSE

Tutor

Jim is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. He is passionate about math, and loves working with all levels of students from elementary school up through high school. In his junior year, he took 5 AP/Honors level courses, including AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP English, AP Spanish, and Physics Honors.


Outside of the classroom, Jim loves playing sports. He has been a starter on the varsity football and basketball teams since his sophomore year and was elected as a team captain of both teams for his senior year. He is also the president of the Young Entrepreneurial Students Club and enjoys volunteering at the Houston Food Bank.

ZOE TOY

Tutor

Zoe is a class of 2021 student at St. John’s School in Houston, TX. At SJS, she is involved with many different clubs and affinity groups. She is the leader of the Middle Eastern & North African Affinity Group and also recently founded Green Pathway, a nonprofit aiming to educate and spread awareness on sustainable practices.


In the past, Zoe has primarily tutored middle school students in English and language arts. She is open to tutoring all subjects, especially math and language arts. Outside of the classroom, Zoe has a passion for soccer, art, cooking, and gardening.

NATALIE B.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

RHYS B.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

AIDEN D.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

RACHEL H.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

MADDIE M.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

ISABELLA O.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

ANNA P.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

JULIA R.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

LUKE W.

Tutor

Thank you for your service!

Meet the Team: List
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