"I'm currently a junior studying Computer Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, but will be transferring to the University of Arizona for Computer Science. In high school I earned a state technical skills certificate for software and app design, and took AP Computer Science as well as other STEM classes, like game development and introductory engineering.

I've informally tutored colleagues in many of my college classes, either one-on-one or in small groups, as a way to help others and to make sure I understood the content. I was also employed as an instructor at a STEM summer camp, where I taught robotics and game development classes to students as young as 10 and as old as 18. The instruction took place in robotics or computer labs, and my classes typically had 10 to 12 students (though a few were as small as 3). I found teaching in smaller groups to be the most effective, in a hands-on and discussion-like format where students could ask questions freely, practice what they learn as they learn it, and add their own insight to lessons. I realized that meeting both the educational and personal needs of students was important, and took care to keep an eye on their mood and well being while I taught.

While teaching at the summer camp, I was given a fixed curriculum and set of end goals for each class, with the freedom to teach the content as I saw fit. I found this to be a huge advantage, since often times when a student doesn't understand a topic, the root cause can be that the method of instruction doesn't work for them. In public schools with rigid curriculum, this can create a cycle of learned helplessness, where the student feels like they're not capable of learning a topic, when in reality it's the delivery of the content that can change. As a result, I try to use my passion for subjects like math and programming to make them approachable, and I endeavor to be as personal, adaptive, and patient as I can when I teach." less...