About Us

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Our Philosophy

We have all heard the parable of the starving man who comes to the fishing village looking for food. Like the forward-thinking fisherman in that village, Northwest Educational Services believes in teaching our students to fish. We want our students to grow into empowered learners, becoming active agents in their own growth.

    • Our one-to-one tutoring is designed to meet an individual student’s needs. Coaches and students are matched based on both content expertise and personality fit.
    • Some of the most important coaching happens when there isn’t current homework or urgent test prep.
    • Everything counts. All homework assignments are opportunities to actively engage and prepare for future tests, and every step in the right direction is worthwhile.

Check out our blog to learn more!

Business Policies

    • No contract or long-term commitment. Most clients choose to set up regular weekly appointments, but you’re welcome to see us on a short-term or call-as-needed basis.  
    • Pay as you go service. Cash or check, payable to NWES. We send an emailed statement at the end of each month to any clients with a balance.
    • 24 hours’ notice is required for schedule changes and cancellations.

Our Coaches

Greg Smith

Greg is the owner of Northwest Educational Services. He graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1985, majoring in African History and minoring in Physics and Computer Science. He also did a year of post-graduate study in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Vermont before earning a teaching credential from Lewis and Clark College.

Greg’s passion is teaching students how to become masters of learning so they can take charge of their own education. He emphasizes the use of proven strategies that help all types of students including those with learning differences. A dyslexic himself, Greg has been personally using these strategies for most of his life. He also works with parents on how to better support academic success at home. Along with Chris Loper, Greg coteaches Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families.

With nearly three decades as an educator, Greg has extensive experience working with all types of students. He taught middle school English and History before founding NWES in 1995. Greg also runs the Learning Center at Billings Middle School and is frequently asked to speak at Seattle schools and educational conferences on topics ranging from test prep to executive function and parenting for academic success.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Greg has lived in Seattle since 1995. As a young man, Greg was a serious tennis player, whitewater kayaker, and sports photographer. These days he enjoys skiing, bike riding, and rooting for the Mariners and the Seahawks. He lives in Queen Anne with his wife and two daughters.

Chris Loper

Chris Loper

Chris grew up in Issaquah, WA, and graduated from Issaquah High School, where he earned over a year of college credit through AP classes. He attended Montana State University, where he majored in Sociology, minored in History, and earned a Baccalaureate Honors Degree with Distinction. He is the author of Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a humorous memoir that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons, available on Amazon and through most local bookstores.

Chris is passionate about education because it is a direct way to make the world a better place. He loves teaching and helping students improve. Through independent study, Chris has used knowledge to greatly improve his own life. He wants to share that knowledge, inspire others to seek it, and empower them to retain it.

Chris has been with Northwest Educational Services since 2014. He no longer coaches students for us, but he still writes our blog. His writing is aimed at helping parents and students learn and apply successful student psychology. Please follow our blog to learn more. Together with Greg, he co-teaches Parenting for Academic Success.

Chris is also the creator of becomingbetter.org, a blog dedicated to the science and practice of self-improvement. You can find a collection of his best articles here and the corresponding YouTube channel here. Through Becoming Better, he offers habit coaching for adults who want to optimize their habits, overcome procrastination, and become extraordinary. Chris’s most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more. Chris lives in Issaquah, where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring. For fun, he skis, hikes, birds, and plays tabletop games.

Andrew Durtschi

Andrew was born in Seattle and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in History. He has spent the last decade in the film industry and has years of experience working as a writer. His background putting words to page professionally dovetails with years of experience helping students improve their prose and test scores. Working with the team at Northwest Educational Services, Andrew takes a holistic approach to helping each student, not just with the task at hand, but with strategies and study habits that will serve them for years to come.

Cami Sheppard 

Cami was born and raised in Seattle. As a child, she saw words as both toys and doorways to understanding the world. Early exposure to French expanded those horizons, and she’s always been passionate about opening those doorways for others. 

She spent her senior year of high school in Lyon and Paris, then majored in French at the University of Washington, graduating in 1983. Upon graduation, she moved to France forever—or until she ran out of money. 

She worked in finance for a few years, then returned to the UW for an MA in French Literature in 1989. At the UW, Cami taught undergraduate French language and culture classes, then taught in local private schools. 

When her three adult children were young, she began tutoring high school students in French, and found that she preferred one-on-one teaching. This led to supporting students in English as well, helping them craft and edit stories, essays, and research papers. Cami enjoys listening deeply for what her students really need. She’s worked with those who “just want to pass the class” and be done with foreign language, some who need help catching up, students working on college applications, students who don’t need a tutor—just someone to listen—and students who want to go beyond schoolwork. 

Cami’s love of language and story also led her to pursue her own writing. She completed a certificate in memoir and personal essay in 2016 and is currently working on an editing certificate. 

She spends her free time gardening, walking with her dog, hiking the Cascades and Olympics, reading, and traveling.

Janet Young

Janet has always been passionate about learning. In high school, she took eight AP courses, including every AP history course offered at her high school. She also served as concertmaster and was voted MVP of both the tennis team and the track and field team. She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in History, and a minor in music from the University of California, San Diego. She then graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and passed the California Bar Exam. She has worked as a lawyer and an executive director, and she currently owns her own business.

As an executive director working with youth in juvenile hall, she personally developed and led a math and English tutoring program for all high school graduates to further their education. She taught all ages while earning her black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She believes with the right inspiration and tools, anybody can love to learn.

Through it all, she has always found time to play violin, read, mountain bike, downhill ski, and save the environment.

Ethan Widlansky

Ethan is a reader, runner, writer, and editor. He attended Pomona College, a liberal arts college outside of Los Angeles, California. He graduated with an honors degree in English in December 2022. He now lives in Santa Monica, CA. 

Ethan has worked for The Bush School as a college essay coach, the Los Angeles Review of Books as an intern and copy editor, and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting as an outreach coordinator. He helps young writers find their voices: high schoolers writing their first thesis-driven essay, college hopefuls, and undergraduates refining argumentative skills.

In his free time, Ethan reads breathless science fiction, falters through yoga vinyasas, and trains for ultramarathons.

Sharron Starling

Sharron Starling oversees and directs all aspects of the admission process for Cornish College of the Arts. A dedicated admission professional with over thirty years of experience, Starling is a frequent presenter in the PNW, has served the region on the PNACAC Executive Board, and is a current elected member of the National Portfolio Day Association Board. She has served as an ex-officio member of the Board for the Washington Association of Art Educators and is the City Representative for the NACAC Seattle Performing and Visual Arts College Fair.

In her role at Cornish, she also serves as the site host for the annual Seattle National Portfolio Day. Presentations at national conferences include HECA, IECA, and NACAC. 

She is the parent of two classically trained ballet dancers who have taken that early training into the professions of Lighting Design and Stage Management. A long-time supporter of Billings Middle School and Spruce Street School, she currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Spruce Street School.

Patrick Westgaard

Patrick was born and raised in Seattle. Early on he had a passion for chess, even going to nationals in fifth grade. Patrick studied in Rwanda for his freshman year of high school and then returned to Seattle to do the IB program at Ingraham. While at Ingraham, he also played saxophone in the All City Band and wrestled on the varsity team. He then moved to Bellingham to study at Western Washington University.

While studying for his linguistics major, he also took courses in computer science and logic. As a Linguistics Major, he studied several languages as well as how to study and teach different languages. While at Western, he became the president of the fencing club and taught others as both a T.A. and a tutor.

Patrick has studied three languages and would love to help you use the study strategies that have worked for him. He is comfortable with students of all ages who are excited to learn. He would love to help you with your language studies, math, physics, or computer science. 

In his free time, Patrick enjoys playing Dungeon and Dragons and working on projects that he 3D prints or codes on an arduino. He also enjoys practicing his languages. He is currently studying Norwegian.

Ross Williams

Ross was born in North Dakota, where he earned numerous awards in high school for mathematics and computer science. He has lived in Seattle for over 10 years and graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. and a Masters in Mathematics (focus in Combinatorics). During his time at the University of Washington, he was a T.A. in the math department and helped in the math study center. While working as a math T.A., he discovered that he enjoys helping others learn math in a one-on-one environment or in small groups. 

In his spare time, Ross enjoys playing complex board games and has earned a reputation from his friends for being able to teach them well. His other hobbies include music (listening and playing), cooking, running gaming events for his friends, and logic puzzles of all kinds. He has also participated in the Microsoft Puzzle Hunt for the last few years.

Maya Cowan

Maya has a B.A. in Psychology from U.C.S.C. and an M. Ed. from U.W., as well as a current professional teaching certificate with endorsements for K-8 in General Education and Pre-K through 12 in Special Education. She has taught in elementary classrooms (general and special education: grades preschool to 4th grade) for over 28 years. She has also worked as a math and reading interventionist for struggling learners, focusing on the youngest grades from K-2.

Maya’s extensive experience with students who have unique learning needs (including ADHD, Autism, selective mutism, English language learners, speech and language delays, anxiety) allows her to customize lessons for each student. Maya can tutor students in the areas of reading, vocabulary, writing, and math. She enjoys building positive connections with students, increasing their confidence along with their abilities, while keeping lessons student-centered and based on individual interests, strengths, and needs.

Maya is originally from San Francisco but has felt at home in Seattle for over 30 years. She loves going on walks with her dog, reading, creating art, and gardening.

Cori Adler 

Cori is passionate about learning in all its facets from the neuroscience of how people learn, to nurturing pure joy in the pursuit of curiosity, to core strategies for academic achievement. Her calling is helping each student discover and hone their own best practices for personally meaningful lifelong learning. She has coached thousands of students (high school, college, and adult learners) in a variety of subjects across the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Drawing upon 30 years of training, experience, and intuitive wisdom cultivated through compassion-based practice, she empowers students to discover their own best practices for lifelong learning. 

Her teaching career took her from the Landmark School for neurodiverse learners to pedagogy-of-liberation-based Antioch University—with technical and community colleges, public universities, arts-based education, adult education, and teaching English abroad in between—until leaving her last faculty position to devote herself full time to the private practice she maintained on the side throughout that time. 

As a learning and writing coach, Cori has specialized in supporting high school students with college entrance essays; IB and AP essays, and other honors coursework (like IB IAs), and is particularly passionate about working with students these programs have not traditionally recognized or served well, such as ASD, ESL/bilingual, or twice-exceptional; those struggling with social or performance anxieties; socioeconomically marginalized; or anyone looking to better understand their own psychological, social, or neurocognitive makeup and how to leverage it in achieving academic success. 

Working with NW Educational Services fulfills a dream Cori nurtured through years of full-time teaching: to devote the ‘golden age’ of her career to self-employment by working with an age group she loves (tweens and teens) and supporting those who need her most.

Willie Richardson

Willie is a proud 5th-generation Seattleite who likes to nerd out about Fun Facts of The Pacific Northwest. He has tutored Spanish, Writing, and History since 2004. Following the completion of his BA in History at Gonzaga, Willie managed a Spanish language school in Guatemala, which catapulted his interest in obtaining an MA in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico. Besides working as a tutor, Willie runs as a cross country and track athlete for Seattle’s Club Northwest.

Tejaswi Durga Sudhakar 

Tej completed her bachelor’s degree at New York University. She has a developing clinical and basic science research background in neuroscience and engineering with a focus in cerebrovascular disease. She currently works at UWMC as a research analyst for neuroimaging studies. She has tutored for nine years, helping students with math, science, programming, and standardized test prep.

Russel Wylie

My name is Russell Wylie. I am originally from Houston, Texas. My whole life, I have participated in as many extracurricular activities as possible: I played baseball while studying biomedical engineering at the University of Miami, and I also played on their chess team and played violin in the university orchestra. I am a big fan of strategy games, and I am the Dungeon Master for my Dungeons and Dragons group.

I taught at a summer camp in Maine, Camp O-AT-KA, for 7 years, helping kids ages 8-16 learn everything from darkroom photography and stained glass to rock climbing and canoeing. This is my 10th year teaching SAT and ACT. I love thinking about the tests as puzzles to be solved, and I can consistently score perfect on both tests.

I value adaptability as a tutor in order to help students find the strategies that fit them the best. I can often be heard saying, “Here is a good starting strategy. Let me know what you like and don’t like, and we will lean into what you like, and change what you don’t.”

I am always armed with a good random fact. Let me know your favorites too!

Will Bonney

My name is Will Bonney. I graduated in 2016 from Colby College in Maine with degrees in Psychology and Theater, with a particular focus on learning, memory, and cognition.

The SAT and ACT are, at their heart, fascinating games, and there is nothing I love more than diving deep into a game with someone and helping them discover both their weaknesses and the strategies with which to overcome them.

I was a National Merit Scholar, and regularly take the SAT and ACT every year to stay current.  Over the past several years, I have managed multiple scores of 1590 on the SAT with a perfect 1600 super score, as well as perfect scores of 36 on the ACT.

I worked at a summer camp, Camp O-AT-KA, for over 5 years. I ran and coordinated cabins of boys ranging in age from 10 all the way up to 16.  I also headed up, at various points, the rock climbing and track activities, and taught a variety of other skills and crafts. I have also taught Chess, as well as other high-level strategy games, to people of all levels, experiences, and goals.

Whether you need a sci-fi book recommendation, want a fun fact about 16th-century London theater, want to hear about summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, or just need to learn how to never lose at Tic-Tac-Toe, I’m full of odd knowledge, so ask away!

Rowan Pauls

Rowan was raised in Fresno, California, but has lived in Seattle for the past five years. They love reading, playing video games, and cuddling with their cat. They are pursuing a degree in psychology with an interest in helping people with neurodiversity and mental illnesses navigate life better. As someone who has family members with autism, ADHD, ODC, dyslexia, anxiety, and depression, Rowan has experienced many different strategies that people use to get through school. Rowan also struggled with paying attention and getting things done in school when they were young. Through their experience, they have learned different tips and tricks to succeed in school. 

Rowan has always been interested in the sciences and has loved learning about chemistry, biology, physics, environmental science, and, of course, psychology. They would love to help other students learn and succeed in them as well. Rowan, however, struggled in English classes as the ‘right answer’ or correct way of writing seemed to change depending on the teacher. Through trial and error and later help from tutors, they have learned many helpful ways to navigate English classes. 

Rowan has also struggled with anxiety and depression their whole life and knows how difficult that can make school. They would love to help any kid who is struggling to know that they are not alone and can succeed in life.

Alison Witwer

Alison was raised in Puyallup, WA, and graduated from Emerald Ridge High School with 7 completed AP classes and a 3.99 GPA. She graduated from Western Washington University with a B.S. in Biology (Cellular and Molecular Emphasis) and a minor in art history. While at Western, Alison was an undergraduate research assistant in a molecular biology lab for two years and presented her research in several symposiums. She became a tutor with the university’s tutoring center, where she advised other tutors as the Lead General Chemistry Tutor. She continued working as a private tutor in addition to coordinating a youth program at a church.  

Ultimately, Alison’s goal as a tutor is not just to improve grades, but to foster a deep understanding and appreciation for the subject matter. She strives to equip her students with the skills and confidence they need to tackle future academic challenges independently. Every week, she looks forward to seeing them succeed and develop greater confidence in themselves, both as learners and as individuals.

In her free time, Alison enjoys hanging upside down during aerial yoga, embroidering different art projects for friends, and volunteering in her community with children and teens.

Isabel Schmidt

Isabel was born in Seattle, and she’s a Pacific Northwest girl through and through. She is herself a former tutee at NWES and is extremely excited to return as a tutor. She graduated from Garfield High School as class valedictorian and went on to earn a BA in Art History and History at Columbia University. In college, Isabel ran D1 Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field (so she knows a LOT about hard work and discipline!), was co-president of Columbia’s environmental club, and served as a tour guide at the Met. She is currently pursuing a masters at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, with ambitions of becoming a museum curator. 

During the pandemic, Isabel worked as a full-time tutor, teaching students in nearly every grade and in almost every subject, which gave her a very wide range of tutoring skills. She believes deeply in holistic education, fostering a lifelong love of learning in her students, and respecting all kinds of learning styles. As a tutor, she designed students’ curriculum (math, writing, history, science, etc.) to supplement their schoolwork, helping her tutees and their parents navigate their education with empathy and confidence. Since the pandemic, Isabel has taught literature seminars to high school students in Indore, India; tutored elementary school students at the Manhattanville Community Center in Harlem; and given museum tours to middle and high school students at Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity.

Isabel specializes in tutoring math (elementary through pre-calculus), biology, history, language arts, college/private school essays, and private school entrance examinations (ISEE, SSAT, and TACHS). In her free time, she loves going on long runs, hiking, reading too many books at once, trying out new recipes, learning Japanese, and befriending dogs and cats.

Jeesoo Yoon

Jeesoo was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Seattle when she was 5, now proudly considering herself a native Seattleite through and through. She graduated from Skyline High School in Sammamish, WA, with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, earning higher-level distinctions in math, biology, history, and language arts, and standard-level distinctions in Spanish and music. After high school, she attended the University of Washington, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Ethics in 2023. Jeesoo plans to pursue an M.D. and hopes to practice clinical medicine in the future.

As someone who values female representation in STEM, Jeesoo is passionate about supporting and encouraging others in the field. Her love for teaching began in middle school when she taught Korean language lessons to Korean adoptees, and it has grown ever since. She has worked in a variety of academic coaching roles, including as an academic support tutor at the UW CLUE tutoring center, a lead tutor for the TriBeta biology club, and a peer facilitator in introductory neuroscience course labs. Jeesoo particularly enjoys teaching biology, especially complex topics like evolution and genetics, and finds it particularly rewarding to witness the “a-ha” moment when a student finally grasps a challenging concept. In addition to biology, she has years of experience teaching chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, math, and both academic and creative writing.

Outside of academics, Jeesoo enjoys playing cello with the Seattle Festival Orchestra and her chamber music group. She’s also a fan of thrift shopping, where she enjoys finding pieces to alter or mend. On clear days, she likes to go birdwatching, but on rainy days, she can be found playing Stardew Valley in her pajamas. Most of all, she likes to creatively write in her journal—rain or shine!

Gilly Nadel

Gilly has a bachelor’s degree in History and Journalism from Indiana University, a law degree from Harvard, and a master’s degree in education from Bank Street. After practicing law for a few years, she realized she wanted to teach low-income middle schoolers, help them to access the opportunities she had, and empower them to participate fully in our democracy. While teaching, she has also prepared scores of private students for the LSAT. She (weirdly) loves teaching the LSAT, because preparing for this test refines students’ reading and logical thinking and prepares them for law school. Gilly has also tutored students in reading, writing, math, SAT/ACT, SSAT/ISEE, and other subjects.

Henri Downer

Henri was born and raised in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood and is now a sophomore at Colorado College, where he studies mathematical economics and plays Division III lacrosse. Math has always been a subject he has enjoyed and excelled in. In high school, he earned credit from 7 AP exams (6 of which he scored a 5 on), which gave him a strong academic foundation going into college. Because of that background, he has found that he enjoys helping others feel more confident in subjects that can seem overwhelming at first.

Outside of academics, lacrosse is a big part of Henri’s life. Being a student-athlete has taught him the value of time management, teamwork, and persistence, all of which carry over into how he approaches challenges in and out of the classroom. He also enjoys traveling, socializing, and various outdoor activities, including surfing and skiing. 

Henri brings the same energy needed to play division III sports into tutoring: being patient, supportive, and making learning feel less stressful. His goal is not only to help with solving problems, but also to build confidence and show how math can be rewarding and sometimes even fun!

Alyssa Shane

Alyssa (she/her) is an educator, writer, historian, and lover of learning. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Washington in 2021 to start her undergraduate education at the University of Puget Sound, a liberal arts college in Tacoma. She graduated in 2025 with a major in History and a minor in Music, and soon after made the move up to Seattle.

During her last two years at UPS, she worked as a Writing and Speaking Advisor at the Center for Writing and Learning, helping her peers strengthen their written and oral communication skills across all academic disciplines. This position taught her to appreciate learning as a collaborative experience, shaping her approach to tutoring. Additionally, she was also an Academic Consultant, assisting a diverse array of students with time management, study skills, and executive functioning. Overall, she is passionate about supporting students through every part of their learning journey.

Alyssa is a historian of US social and cultural history. In her senior year at UPS, she researched and wrote her Bachelor’s thesis about how Black American textile artist Faith Ringgold interpreted US history through her story quilts. Her favorite historical phenomenon is world’s fairs, a topic on which she has conducted multiple research projects. 

In her free time, Alyssa enjoys reading three or four books at once, playing video games, creating textile art, watching and writing sketch comedy, and playing the piano.

Ericka Negroni

Hello! My name is Ericka. I enjoy connecting with students and helping them gain confidence in their studies! I have over 15 years of experience tutoring math. I obtained my undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Applied Math from San Diego State University. I’ve lived in the Seattle area for the past 8 years.

Math anxiety is quite common, so it is important to be encouraging and meet students where they are. I employ the Socratic method – asking questions to encourage the student to be engaged and also to assess their level of understanding. I allow the student to work through problems with support and encouragement. 

In addition to tutoring, I enjoy spending time with friends, family, and my two dogs. I enjoy traveling to California to visit family and enjoy the beautiful nature of the west coast.

Izzy Amaryllis

Izzy grew up traveling around the country exploring the natural world. Her mother had a degree in biology and instilled in her a love of seeing the wonder inside every living thing. As one of the eldest in a family of eleven, tutoring others has always been a fundamental part of her learning process.

Upon entering college, her original goal was to become an open-heart surgeon. Towards that aim, she majored in biological engineering at Utah Tech University, where she continued to see guiding peers as a way of mastering her own understanding. Over time, however, she realized that working in the US healthcare system was not for her.

Temporarily delaying her education, she decided to take some time and explore what was next. Moving to Seattle, she took a job at a nature-based preschool in Fremont. Getting the chance to share her love of plants and bugs with young children sparked something in her. Right away, she knew that this was her calling. Excited, she returned to school, this time to become a science teacher.
Izzy likes to play tabletop role-playing games, care for her pet snake Rilla, and explore nature through hiking and backpacking. Wherever she goes, she likes to look for new seeds to add to her collection, a habit she began when she was five years old.

Sam Kigar

Sam is an associate professor of religion at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. He has experience teaching kindergarteners through college students, and adult learners. As a teacher, his greatest passion is for identifying and developing students’ hidden strengths. He believes that the teacher’s primary task is to help students see that their potential is limitless. As a tutor, Sam balances positivity and accountability. He teaches skills, while also forming connections with students and encouraging them to think about how and why they learn. 

In 2025, Sam was recognized for his dedication to helping students thrive as the winner of the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, the highest honor given to University of Puget Sound faculty. But his greatest professional accomplishment came when a former advisee gave a convocation address, saying, “Professor Sam Kigar has changed not only my life but countless people across this campus. Sam, you were the first person who ever believed that I could be a good student, and for that, I will be forever grateful. You show up and show up again and again for all of your students. Thank you for being not only an amazing professor but a wonderful role model.”

Sam enjoys working with students of all ages and can tutor elementary and middle school students in most subjects. As a high school tutor, he works in a wide variety of subjects and courses, including English, history, and social sciences courses, in conventional as well as AP and IB settings. He is also a passionate student and teacher of the Arabic language. As a university professor, he loves helping students apply and prepare for the transition to college. As an academic advisor, Sam cultivated his skill as an executive function coach, a talent he loves to share with his tutoring students. Sam’s methods are informed by learning differences research. 

As a parent to a 2nd grader and a 5th grader, Sam doesn’t have a lot of free time, but he loves to play with his kids every chance he gets!

Frank Poloney

Frank recently retired from a 36-year career as a technical writer and technical publications manager. He wrote manuals and web pages for Microsoft, Philips Healthcare, Xerox, Tektronix, and others. He has taught technical writing to college students. Frank has also authored non-technical material, including newspaper articles, personal blogs, a piano instruction book, and an encyclopedia article on boogie-woogie piano.

For the last two years, before moving to Seattle, Frank did private tutoring with Huntington of Lake Oswego (Oregon), where he taught K-12 reading and K-8 math. It was wonderful to see students improve academically and become more mature and self-confident over time. Frank’s teaching style is patient and respectful, with emphasis on mastering fundamentals and building step-by-step on each incremental success.

Frank has an associate’s degree in electronics, which opened a world of math concepts. Frank also has a B.A. and an M.A. in music. A dedicated lifelong musician, he has taught music theory to college students and performed in various ensembles around the Northwest. 

Frank is the father of two successful adult children and a veteran of countless hours of homework help.

Pratika Eswaran

My name is Pratika Eswaran, and I’m a second-year student at the University of Washington. I grew up in Frisco, Texas. Throughout high school, I was involved with various clubs centered on volunteering at schools and teaching students about engineering and other STEM areas, and I also served as a computer science tutor for my peers. Now, at the UW, I’m involved with interdisciplinary undergraduate research, collaborating with the Genome Science Department at UW, and I’m also a teaching assistant for the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science and Engineering. 

Outside of academics, I’m in the Husky Rugby Club, and I enjoy watching/playing all kinds of sports and being a mediocre guitarist. Teaching and computer science have always been deep passions of mine, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to serve this community.

Devyn Thein

Devyn (he/him) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle Campus. He graduated from Mercer Island High School in 2021, after scoring a 5 on the AP Psychology exam and a 1560/1600 on the SAT. Devyn can speak Burmese at a limited working proficiency level, having lived in Yangon, Myanmar, from ages 9 to14. As a first-generation child of immigrant parents who also identifies as neurodivergent with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, Devyn is especially passionate about using his lived experience to connect with and support students from the aforementioned communities, but is more than happy to tutor students of any background and identity. He is adept and compassionate when working with students facing life challenges and attention difficulties that impact their focus, having faced these himself. 

Devyn is most experienced in tutoring reading, writing, and psychology at the high school, middle school, or college level. He has worked as a writing tutor at the University of Washington’s CLUE writing center from 2024 to 2025. He has also peer tutored for the UW class Psych 209: Fundamentals of Psychological Research. He is experienced in the entire process of creating written work as well as understanding and summarizing difficult texts through note-taking and reading strategies.

Soren Anderson

Soren has lived in Seattle almost his whole life. As a child biking around the city, he fell in love with Seattle’s scenery, its culture, and, most importantly, the Seattle Seahawks, which he brings up frequently. 

Soren is deeply passionate about education. In his free time, he volunteers as an English as a Second Language teacher and runs the Ethics Bowl at his university. He has tutored the SAT throughout his college years. 

Soren has over three years of tutoring experience, having tutored hundreds of students in a variety of contexts. Soren’s teaching philosophy centers on fostering enthusiasm and engagement; his excitement for the material directly influences students’ willingness to learn. Soren adapts lessons in real-time to address individual needs, ensuring that every student feels supported and challenged. Soren’s experience includes working with diverse learners, ranging from high school students to elementary schoolers in Costa Rica, where Soren refined his ability to connect across language barriers. Soren is passionate about empowering students to achieve their academic goals and takes pride in creating tailored, dynamic lesson plans that resonate with their interests. 

Soren believes in fostering a candid relationship with his pupils. Building a friendly relationship with students greatly increases learning outcomes, and Soren leverages his relatability to create an environment where students don’t just learn, they enjoy learning and look forward to future sessions. 

Outside of tutoring, Soren enjoys exploring different cultures and languages, which enriches his approach to teaching. So far, he has taken up learning French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Indonesian, and Japanese. When he isn’t studying, Soren can usually be found outside, biking across the 520 bridge, hiking Mt. Si, or running through his neighborhood.

Alex Cramer

Alex has been a lifelong math and physics tutor, starting as a high school senior in 2005. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Math and science have been passions of his from a young age. He finds it incredibly rewarding to share that passion with others and help them to unlock their own skills and appreciation for the subject. 

Over the years, he has honed a gentle, encouraging, and upbeat style, working with students from many different backgrounds and abilities. He loves learning new things and enjoys getting to know his students and their interests. 

When not with students, he spends his free time playing games, solving puzzles, hiking, and rock climbing.