Cristina

Cristina

Hi! I’m Cristina. I graduated from Stanford University with distinction and awards in both fiction and nonfiction for exceptional work in Creative Writing. I have more than three years of experience teaching students of all ages: elementary school students in Paris, middle and high school students in the Bay Area, and first generation immigrants at the Palo Alto Adult School. My application essays were published in “50 Successful Stanford Application Essays” and “50 Successful University of California Application Essays.”

I am patient and compassionate with my students while setting concrete, manageable objectives that help them achieve their highest potential. I am empathetic to their needs while pushing them to strive for more than what is expected of them. Having grown up in Venezuela and lived in the United States for seven years, I have an easy time bonding with students of different ages and backgrounds.

Last year, I worked as a counselor and instructor for a Bay Area college prep company, exceeding 1,000 hours of instruction, teaching over 90 middle and high school students in 1:1, tutorial (4-8 students), and class (14+) settings. I have helped 2 out of 3 of my students achieve a 5 on their AP exams, improved SAT/ACT Verbal scores by 60 points (~5 ACT points) on average, and reviewed over 700 college essays, guiding students through the brainstorming, outlining, and revision process. My students were admitted to top-50 colleges and universities, including but not limited to MIT, Cornell University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, USC, NYU and Boston University.