A collage of two photos of a woman with long wavy dark hair, smiling. In the first photo, she is holding a white mug with a logo on it, wearing a green sweater, sitting against a white brick wall. In the second photo, she is sitting at a table with a laptop, wearing a black blazer, and in front of a white brick wall, laughing as she looks at her phone.

Hey! I’m Ellyn…
And I’m About to Be Your Student’s Favorite Tutor EVER!

Maybe that’s a little bit confident to say, but more than one student has said it to me and I’m so proud to say that I’ve had some of my students for several years… taking them from middle school to high school to college!

I’m a long-time tutor, former scientist, burnout and stress management expert (just click here), certified professional coach, and more. But, most importantly, I’m HERE for you and for your student(s)!

I’ve been working with undergraduates since 2010, and—#realtalk—I get the kinds of pressures the modern student is under. Not only that, but I know from personal experience what it’s like because those are the exact pressures I used to put on myself when I was in school…

I spent my high school years doing every activity I could—piano lessons, musical theater, choir, Varsity soccer, club soccer, not to mention a full roster of AP and college-level classes. I was the student who did it all and did it all “effortlessly”, but it was not without sacrifice.

Because I wasn’t the kid who, well, enjoyed her teen years. My teen years were so full of doing that I didn’t do a whole heck of a lot of living and I often wonder if that’s the best way.

I’m passionate about mentoring multi-passionate, high-achieving students who tend to be high-stress. One of my personal goals as

a tutor is to help these students navigate and overcome perfectionism, burnout, and fear of failure, which can cripple high-achieving students regarding standardized testing, academic achievement, and the college application process.

These students are juggling music, sports, their expectations, and those of others—just like I did— and the overwhelm can be debilitating. I want nothing more than to support them and elevate their ability to excel in all their passions and goals while minimizing stress and being teenagers. For more on my teaching experience and subject coverage, click here!

This or That?

This or That

Where I stand on the super important stuff... Agree / disagree? 

Coffee OR Tea

Beach OR Mountains

Early Bird OR Night Owl

Top Sheet OR No Top Sheet

Fruity Candy OR Chocolate

Pumpkin Pie OR Apple Pie

Romantic Comedies OR Action Movie

Laptop screen displaying a presentation titled "How to Choose Between the ACT & the SAT" with educational icons around it, on a black background.

Free MasterClass

Is the SAT or the ACT Best for your Student?

Here are a few of my Faves…

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  • "Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think."

    -Albert Einstein

Experience

Ellyn has been serving as a mentor, teacher, and tutor to undergraduates and high schoolers since 2007—five 6.5 years (since 2019) as a Premium tier tutor at one of the highest-tier, premiere tutoring companies in the United States. Ellyn also has 8 years of experience as a certified professional coach and stress management coach. She has also spent substantial time working as a life, health, and soccer coach with middle schoolers to graduate students and beyond, making her easily able to connect with and build rapport with her students.

Education

  • B.S. in Microbiology, Cum Laude with Honors, Washington State University (WSU)

  • B.S. in Genetics & Cell Biology, WSU

  • M.S. in Microbiology & Immunology, University of Michigan

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RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS:

If you have a student who is interested in going into science, not only can I advise and mentor them about what life as a scientist is like, but on lab life, publications, research, graduate programs, and more.

What I teach…

Math:

  • Pre-Algebra

  • Algebra 1

  • Algebra II

  • Geometry

  • Pre-Calculus

  • Trigonometry

  • Calculus

  • AP Calculus AB

Writing & English

  • Writing (College-Level)

  • Middle & High School Writing

  • AP Literature & AP Language

  • Reading Comprehension

  • High School English

  • Middle School English

Science:

  • Middle School Science

  • Biology, including AP Biology, Biology (College-Level) & related, including Microbiology, Genetics, Cell Biology, & Immunology

  • Chemistry

  • Physics

  • Environmental Science

  • AP Environmental Science

  • Biomedical Science Research (College)

College-Related:

  • ACT (including the new computer-based exam)

  • SAT (including Digital)

  • PSAT/NMSQT

  • College Essay Writing

Other:

  • Executive functioning

Learning Differences - Transparently speaking, I do not hold specific certifications in teaching to learning differences, but I have experience teaching students with ADHD, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, and Dyscalculia. I also have high-functioning ADHD myself.