I specialize in teaching writing skills to middle and high schoolers, and helping students prepare for the college admissions process, especially the personal statement essay. I am an empathetic mentor and instructor with experience working in multi-cultural environments in the U.S., Russia, Spain, Morocco and Turkey. I have tutored children and adolescents from grades 2 through 11 in English for over 5 years. In addition, I have over 15 years experience teaching adults individually, as well as in a company environment. I am detail-oriented, very serious about my job, and use an approach which takes into consideration each individual's personality, circumstances and emotional state to create an ideal environment for learning the subject at hand.

I have TESL/TEFL certification, a BA in Russian Regional studies with a minor in Psychology from Barnard College-Columbia University, as well as an MA in Translation (English/Spanish/Russian) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

My experience teaching children began five years ago in Istanbul, Turkey. The majority of these students were transitioning to an international school where English was the language of instruction. While some did not speak any English at the time, they are all now fluent English speakers with a high level in writing. I continue to teach many of them and thoroughly enjoy witnessing their progress over time.

I began teaching English to adults while living in Russia in 2001. There, I taught at Biomedical Center, a company researching immune diseases. The focus was on communication skills needed for collaboration with English-speaking colleagues at conferences. In addition, I volunteered at an after-school program for children. Later, in Spain, I taught at GlaxoSmithKline, while also tutoring individuals preparing for the IELTS exam. Finally, in Turkey, I taught at the international marketing department at General Mobile, a Turkish cell phone manufacturer.