"Hi, my name is Rivanna! I just graduated from Radford University's Honors College with a bachelor's in biology and a minor in English, finishing with Magna Cum Laude status. While I do not yet have formal teaching experience, I do have extensive experience in work that requires the same skills that teaching demands. I have spent the last two years conducting research projects of my own design in an Ecophysiology-centered lab, requiring that I use classroom knowledge in real-world applications in addition to having lots of one-on-one guidance from my research mentor. I have given a total of seven different formal research presentations on these findings, which demand that I be able to explain concepts to the audience in a manner catered to their knowledge within a topic. (This also requires you to be interesting and likeable, as well as able to crack a joke or two!) I have also written multiple successful research proposals and abstracts, and have great experience with both scientific writing and literary analysis.

I will begin sessions by spending as much time as it takes to properly understand what the student truly understands versus what they are struggling with, and where the gaps in their comprehension is stemming from. Both biology and English contain a complex system of patterns, and if the student does not understand these patterns, new information will not make sense. I am passionate about showing others the difference between memorization and true comprehension, and I will make sure to frame the information in an interesting way such that memorization is no longer necessary." less...