Keely is an expert mentor specializing in both ACT/SAT Prep and academic subjects, with a focus on Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Sciences,  and Mathematics. Prior to becoming a full-time educator, Keely earned their B.S. in Microbiology from Purdue University, followed by a Master’s degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA. Over the course of their degree programs, Keely served as a peer tutor and then a teaching assistant for college courses in Biology, Chemistry, Medical Microbiology, and Parasitology. Since earning their Master’s in 2013, Keely’s decade of experience as a professional educator has included mentoring dozens of individual students, teaching chemistry at a private high school for gifted students with learning disabilities, developing test prep curriculum, training other tutors in ACT/SAT test preparation, and partnering with educational therapists or executive functioning coaches to support students to build study skills or learn to accommodate learning differences.

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As a mentor, Keely is constantly striving to be aware of all the many separate components that must come together for students to succeed academically, especially in STEM subjects— from many layers of conceptual and computational skills, to executive functioning and metacognition. When students struggle academically, often their experience is simply one of frustration or despair, and they can’t even identify for themselves specifically what aspect of the work they are really struggling with, much less how to change! Even students who are generally quite strong in a subject overall can at times have difficulty learning to identify their own weak spots or figure out how to make improvements to push themselves to the next level.  Keely’s goal with every student is to build a collaborative environment in which they are supported to build a better understanding of their own learning process, ultimately gaining the skills not just to succeed at the academic challenge currently in front of them, but to grow in confidence and skill as a lifelong learner.

Keely is based in Southern California, where they live with their two co-parents and their toddler daughter, Nova (who calls them “Papa”). In their free time, they are gradually working to expand their native plants garden and vegetable garden, as well as trying to spend more time crafting than hoarding craft supplies! They also maintain a strong interest in biomedical research and love to discuss the field with aspiring scientists and medical professionals. 

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