Karla R

My Passion & How I Inspire

As someone who appreciates both traditional and innovative pedagogical methods, I make a conscious effort to understand effective learning styles for my students that combine print and digital materials. Furthermore, as someone who develops games as a hobby, I am constantly discovering new and engaging ways for students to learn through gamification. I view standardised exams such as the SAT as games with obstacles you have to overcome as you race against the clock, and I enjoy working with students to find the most valuable strategies and tricks they can use to achieve their highest scores.

My Experience

I am originally from New York and graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Since university, I have worked in the financial technology industry in Product, Strategy, Analytics and Innovation roles in San Francisco, New York, Dubai and London. I am very grateful for my career opportunities and also appreciate tutoring in tandem as a way to pay forward.

I have tutored secondary school and undergraduate students in the US and UK in a range of subjects including foreign languages (French and Spanish), SAT I and SAT subject tests, personal statements, CV/cover letter writing and interview preparation.

Subjects That I Teach

  • US Admissions
  • ACT
  • ACT - A-Level
  • ACT - Interview Preparation
  • ACT - SAT
  • ACT - 11+
  • English
  • English - A-Level
  • English - Interview Preparation
  • English - SAT
  • English - 11+
  • French
  • French - A-Level
  • French - Interview Preparation
  • French - SAT
  • French - 11+
  • Spanish
  • Spanish - A-Level
  • Spanish - Interview Preparation
  • Spanish - SAT
  • Spanish - 11+

My Qualifications

Academic Awards:

Marymount School of New York Butler Scholarship (4-year merit scholarship to attend prestigious independent secondary school in New York City)

Master of Arts (Honours French and Management), University of St Andrews

Scholarship from Hackbright Academy (software engineering school in San Francisco) to complete Python coding course

Scholarships from Allbright Academy and Flatiron School to complete 4-month intensive software engineering bootcamp covering HTML/CSS, Ruby/Rails, JavaScript/React/Redux and SQL

Professional Awards:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Global Startup Workshop Fellowship (awarded for co-founding student-run social enterprise)

1t Prize ā€˜Inventorā€™ Award from Visa (filed patent for payments technology prototype idea created during company-wide hackathon in San Francisco)

Extracurricular Awards:

University of St Andrews Colours Award (athletic prize for basketball)

Certification from Goldsmiths University for Jazz and Contemporary Music Arrangement & Composition course

Fun fact

I once hitch hiked from Scotland to Spain while wearing a giant foam finger.