Meet The Team: Evatt S.

“Growth is so much more important than what you know. The desire to learn and grow your knowledge is what’s important. You can’t judge yourself for not having a particular knowledge, you can only judge yourself for not wanting to grow in that knowledge.”

Evatt S. is from the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Durango, Colorado. He’s finishing his fourth year of a five-year double major in physics and theatre with an emphasis in acting, and plans to graduate in 2020. How does someone choose to double major in such seemingly disparate fields - and how does he have any extra time to tutor? In this interview, Evatt explains why physics and acting are both essential to feeding his mind and soul, and points to online tutoring as a great way to maintain effective mentorship while saving transportation time. Read more about this acting physicist, and while you’re at it, save the date for his next live performance: a twist on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at Pepperdine’s Center for the Arts on April 23.

How did you choose such juxtaposed fields of study, and how’s that working out for you?

I’ve always really enjoyed being both left and right brained. When in the past I’ve tried to let one side of me go, it’s never really worked out well - I just go crazy. Having both keeps me satisfied; physics keeps the analytical side scratched and the creative side - making art and stuff - is theatre.  

How did you end up in Malibu at Pepperdine?

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in college - I thought maybe either acting or some sort of engineering, science, or chemistry. But the Venn diagrams didn’t really align well so I didn’t have a clear sense of what I wanted to do or where to go. So I decided to get out of my small-town bubble and come to a larger city to have that experience. Pepperdine was a good mix: it’s near LA and has access to everything that has to offer but it’s also removed a little, closer to nature, and more familiar to home. Plus, the acting program here is set up in a way where I can actually take a second major, whereas a lot of places you can’t do another major along with acting.

Why did you choose to study acting?

Acting has taught me so much about other people and about myself. Every time I do a different show, I am investigating somebody else through my character, and somehow while doing that I learn a lot about myself. It’s taught me to be comfortable in my own skin and taught me how to express myself more freely. Finding the truth of these characters and how to express that truthfully helps me to do that with myself.

Are you in any performances right now?

I am in rehearsals for The Taming of the Shrew right now. In our version, the genders are swapped, so the men are played by women and vice versa. I’m playing Bianca - a supporting female role - which is an interesting, explorative endeavor. The twist takes a show that could be considered pretty outdated - after all, it’s about taming a “shrew,” meaning a woman, and we reverse that so that a man suddenly gains a woman’s perspective in the world, and learns through that experience.

The play doesn’t vilify anyone or say all women are this way or all men are that way, but in the original play, there’s an essential message that women shouldn’t be headstrong individuals and you shouldn’t be in control of your own life because if you are, you’re seen as a shrew - abrasive, not ideal. Our story has rewritten a couple sections to explore the viewpoint of how it would feel if a man were to assume that role and have that experience. The systemic oppression of headstrong women is not ok, and a woman can be just strong as a man can.

What’s one of your favorite roles you’ve gotten to play?

Last year I got to do Edward Bloom in the musical version of Big Fish. It was an incredibly special show. The story is about family and stories and the power of stories and the power of the stories you tell yourself - it was great, and that was my favorite.

You’re clearly passionate about acting. So why physics, also?

I like how many unanswered questions there are in physics, specifically regarding how the universe came to be, what makes it up, and what governs its laws. For example, the research I do with a professor here - we are about to publish a paper about this - is looking at the qualities of the particle responsible for gravity. We have no idea what that is: an electron would be responsible for electricity and the magnetic field along with a proton, but for gravity we really don’t know. In physics, it’s pretty awesome how quickly you can get to depths that are uncharted.

Would you say your interest in the unknown (physics) balances your desire for individuals and yourself to become known (through acting)?

My love for each field of study has to do with my desire to understand the way things are. The way things are in terms of people and humanity is a bit less defined, less specific. So there’s a subjectivity that’s really important to realize when talking about the way people are - that’s theatre.

Another side of that coin is physics, which is very much about objectivity and finding what’s true objectively. I enjoy both a lot, but the process of trying to understand both of those things can be very different, and feeds me in different ways.

Do you have any plans or thoughts for what you want to do after you graduate?

I don’t know exactly, but my goal for now is to go to grad school and possibly become a professor of physics. I do, however, have an internship this summer with the engineering firm Northrop Grumman, and that will give me a chance to see what non-academia science is like so I can make a more educated decision. Ultimately I’d like to be a professor or researcher in physics, but grad school is probably in both futures.

Why not acting?

I used to be committed to acting, and I used to think my career was going to be in acting, but lately my interests have shifted. Acting is always something I’ll do, but it’s just not my focus right now.

What do you like about tutoring?

I do love tutoring, genuinely. I enjoy using what I know to try to help somebody else have that knowledge too. Reframing the knowledge I have in a way that someone else is going to understand is a difficult thing to do but really satisfying. Seeing my students get something, and experiencing the moment it all clicks - that moment is just very fulfilling.

What have you learned from tutoring?

I have learned that if you don’t know something, be humble enough to admit that. If it’s something I think I know but I’m not able to articulate that right now, don’t waste time bumbling around and acting like I know. If I’m unable to answer a question, or it’s on the tip of my tongue, I’ll wait until after the session and go refresh what it is that I was missing, then I might send a video or something to the student just trying to explain further. I think in anything - especially teaching - you have to have integrity, so part of that is being humble when you don’t know everything.

What is something you’ve learned from a mentor that inspires you in your own tutoring?

My professor with whom I’m doing research right now has been a big mentor of mine. The research I’m doing is way over my head and I’m nowhere near the knowledge base I should have, but he’s taken me on as an assistant. I’ve had a huge learning curve in order to be helpful to him, so he’s essentially had to give me a lot of private lessons in some of these things. The lesson he’s given me - the gift - is that growth is so much more important than what you know. The desire to learn and grow your knowledge is what’s important. You can’t judge yourself for not having a particular knowledge, you can only judge yourself for not wanting to grow in that knowledge.

What is some regular advice you find yourself giving students?

I try to convey to students the point that I can make their lives easier in terms of helping them with homework, but they’re going to have to learn themselves - I can’t make them learn. In other words, I can make lives easier, but ultimately they have to do the work of learning. I can support them and give them tools and confidence to do that and make that a little less painful, but they ultimately have to be the ones to actually study and internalize it. I’m not going to be able to do everything they need in an hour or two-long session to pass the test, but I can give them tools to do the learning on their own.

You’ve transitioned some of your students to online tutoring. How is that going?

Online tutoring has taken some getting used to but I think it’s been really effective and I feel like I’m able to provide a service that is really comparable to in-person tutoring and is much more convenient for both me and the student. I wouldn’t have enough time to leave campus and tutor multiple students in their individual homes; now I can do it at campus and helps maintain relationship with students after transitioning students to online. The tools that PCH tutors is using are effective and powerful so we are able to import graphs and external information into our work space and it’s just like looking at it on a computer in person.

Do you ever have free time and if so, how do you spend it?

I enjoy being outside, hiking camping, and seeing how cool the outside world is. If I’m not doing that, I like deep conversations with small groups of people; I can do that for hours and be pretty content. If I could have been a philosophy major I would have added a third major, but I would have been here another two years!

Being from Colorado, I’m also a big skier and mountain biker. Durango is so close to the mountains and there is incredible kayaking and rafting, and it’s really close to nature. I grew up doing all that and I love it.

Read anything good recently?

I most recently enjoyed an anthology of short stories by Ernest Hemingway. He captures people in a way that’s pretty special.

Meet The Team: Josh M.

Josh M. is a 2018 graduate of Pepperdine University. He studied computer science and mathematics, and now tutors for PCH Tutors while also working remotely as a part-time junior software developer. Get to know Josh and what inspires him most - both at work and outside of it!

How did you choose what to study in college?

I’m from Moorpark, California. Going into college in 2014, I really didn’t know what I was going to major in, but my father and uncle are really into the field of technology - that’s what their careers are based around. That inspired me to think, “Maybe I’ll give this a shot.” I picked computer science as a major, but the first year and a half it was really hard for me just to be successful in learning all this new content and trying to adapt to a certain way of thinking. But it paid off in the long run and I really enjoyed my time as a computer science major.

What was your favorite aspect of studying math and computer science?

I think what interested me most was application development. I had the opportunity to work on a mobile app in the summer of 2015, doing updates for a product that had already been created. I was inspired by having my work in the palm of my hand on my phone and being able to see the results and how it challenged me to think of real-world applications. I love that realm of tech. Overall, I really want to work in software development.

What are you hoping to do with your degree?

I want to continue my growth as a software developer. Software’s changing every day, there are always new technologies coming out, and being able to grow and adapt with those changes would be really exciting. I think I would like to be an Amazon web-certified engineer, working with Amazon’s web services. It makes you pretty marketable as a software developer, so that’s where I want to get to.

I also want to be traveling to different places, experiencing different parts of the country around the globe. I think in about 10 years, I’d like to be a decently traveled person.

Where do you want to travel first?

It might sound random, but I’d like to go to Chicago because one of my best friends is there. He’s always told me I’d love the food, and that’s an immediate draw for me. After that, maybe Nashville or Austin. Anywhere with good food.

Do you have any tutoring success stories?

I think what stands out to me the most is my first student ever, whom I still tutor. Because I had never been an official tutor before, I was really nervous going into the first session, thinking: “What if he doesn’t like me, will I remember all my middle school math?…” I was just really overthinking things. But I got to the house and the student’s mom was very warm and kind, and then meeting the student and just being able to connect with him and share common interests really built a foundation for a good tutor-student relationship.

What is something a tutor or mentor taught you that you’ve found to be invaluable advice?

As a TA for one professor at Pepperdine, I was able to pick up on some of her general teaching style, mostly through hearing about her experiences as a professor and by watching her interact with her students; she was a pretty good influence on the way I now interact with my students. Most of my anecdotes from her are more classroom-oriented - whereas I teach more one-on one - but the foundation is similar.

What is some advice you give to students?

The best advice I’ve given involves helping students hone their test-study habits. A lot of the students I help are in middle school, and often don’t know how much time to expect dedicating to studies or to how to study efficiently. After a study session I ask them: “Once I leave, what are you going to do to prepare for your test tomorrow?” I like to remind them of the needs they may not consider right now in the moment. Like, if you develop these study habits now, odds are they’re probably going to pay off for you once you move up to a higher level of education.

Do you have advice for other tutors?

What I’ve learned works best when tutoring new students is: don’t be nervous, just be friendly and try to connect with them. I’ve found that once students know you and trust you, it makes the experience altogether more fun for you and the student and promotes a good environment for learning.

What do you do for fun?

It’s pretty cliche, but I’m most content when I’m surrounded by my friends, hanging out with them, and dedicating free time to them. It helps me to relax, and takes my mind off a long day. I live across from a park so some days I’ll go out and shoot the basketball and lose myself there for a couple hours.

Any books or other media you’ve enjoyed recently?

Since I graduated, I now have time to read books I actually want to read, which is awesome. A month ago I started American Gods by Neil Gaiman and that has been a really good read to take my mind out of reality for a little bit.

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk podcast. It’s a balance of reality and fiction - I like the best of both worlds, I guess. He did a podcast about AI and i just remember being hooked on the show after that, and I enjoy learning and listening to the different aspects of science he covers. He did an Anthony Bourdain interview on the show as well, talking about how science influences food and culture. I like how eclectic the show is and all the topics it covers.

Meet The Team: Daniel R.

Daniel R. is a Pepperdine senior from San Diego studying mathematics, religion, and conflict management. He will graduate in the spring of 2019 and in the meantime, he’s one of PCH’s outstanding tutors. Despite his alleged nerdy math side, he loves all things active and outdoorsy. Get to know Daniel a little more through his own words:

What are you studying?

I’m a mathematics major, but I actually finished that last semester along with a minor in religion. I’m currently in a certificate program for conflict management - Pepperdine has one of the best programs for conflict resolution in the world - and that was something I tacked on to the end of my college education.

What’s your favorite mathematical concept?

The study of combinitorics - basically, advanced counting. It’s taught me how to count a bunch of ways to do something - which sounds nerdy, but it’s cool how powerful these tools and concepts are, that you can count such big numbers without a calculator.

How did you choose your fields of study?

Math is something I thought I excelled at in high school, and I saw the practical use of getting a math degree. I wouldn’t say I’m super passionate about it or want to go to grad school for it or anything, but I’m going to be interning at a nonprofit organization doing data analytics, so I can see the practical use of mathematics. I’m also a religion minor - I’m passionate about and super interested in this because Christianity and faith are both a huge part of my identity. As for the conflict management program, I figured I might as well take on some personal skills, because those will always be useful.

What are you hoping to do with that long-term?

I hope to work for a nonprofit in the future. I’ll be interning with World Vision International soon so I hope to work with them post-grad if possible, then long-term I’d love to work with either them or something similar, most importantly with a mission I can get behind. I would be super happy to use the analytical skills learned from my math major but I am also open to fulfilling other niche needs of the organization - even doing the actual field work and going to sites and helping in that capacity.

Why did you become a tutor?

I enjoy tutoring, and you kind of learn as you’re teaching. In fact, you learn better by teaching whatever you’re learning, so it’s actually a good way to hone my mathematical skills.

Do you have any tutoring success stories?

It’s always super cool when the student has no idea what’s going on either in their homework set or the lesson they’re supposed to be learning. Then after you spend time with them, you see the light bulb go off and they finally get it and they really start to power through the nitty-gritty of whatever problem it is. Those moments are really fun.

What is something a tutor or mentor taught you that you’ve found to be invaluable advice?

I go into professors’ office hours a good amount. If you have the opportunity to go into any professor’s office that’s pretty much the best tutoring you can get, and it’s free. I definitely recommend taking advantage of office hours.

What is some advice you want to give to students?

I usually ask my students a question to elicit their thoughts on a topic - for example, I’ll ask how they themselves see mathematics as beneficial. It depends on each student of course - some are just trying to get through the class to graduate - but asking them why they think it might important kind of gives them more agency, and they seem to be more invested in the class. It gives them a bit more ownership of the topic even if they didn’t choose the class in the first place.

What do you do for fun?

I love the ocean, I’m a big surfer, and I like to free dive and snorkel around the coast. I’m also getting SCUBA certified soon. I work as one of Pepperdine’s outdoor recreation guys so I get to lead a bunch of national parks trips, snowboarding trips, that kind of thing. I just got back from Zion last week - that was pretty amazing. I love hiking climbing, and doing anything outdoorsy, really.

Meet The Team: Ashley G.

Ashley G. is an engineering student with passions for encouraging more women to get into STEM fields, finding ways to improve the education system, protecting the environment, and expressing herself creatively through art and design - just wait til you hear about her apartment (scroll down for photos!)!

Originally from Nashville, she grew up in the southeast US, but it was only when she came to the west coast for college that she started upping her spice tolerance and getting into that hot chicken game. Now, Ashley’s an online tutoring pioneer for PCH Tutors, and does a lot of her tutoring remotely. In this interview, she shares how she keeps it all moving and shaking and inspiring.

What’s your major?

I’m in a dual-degree called the 3-2 program, where I do three years at Pepperdine and two at USC for a five-year degree. I’m in my fourth year total, but my first at USC. I studied natural science with a physics minor at Pepperdine, and at USC I’m a mechanical engineer major.

How did you end up in this Pepperdine/USC program?

I applied to 16-17 colleges around the country and was very open to where I might end up. Geographically, I wasn’t sure where I belonged - the only thing set in stone was that I knew I wanted to be an engineer. A friend had gone to Pepperdine a year before me, so I applied because of her; the engineering program affiliated with USC was attractive, and it was a great opportunity to get out of the south and try California for a while.

How is it to be a transfer student?
I was socially and culturally involved at Pepperdine, so it hasn’t always been easy, especially going from a small school - high school, too - to a big school. By the time I finished there were fewer than 10 engineers in my program at Pepperdine. It’s been harder to get involved at USC but I’m learning I just have to put in more work.

How did you choose your field of study?

When I was in high school I thought I wanted to be either a physical therapist or an engineer, or do some sort of design because I really do love design, both interior and art. In high school, I took AP art along with AP sciences like AP chemistry. I was very versatile, and hung out with both artsy and nerdy people.

Really, the environment I grew up in encouraged me toward engineering. My dad was an engineer - there are over 20 engineers in my family - and my female cousin who is an engineer particularly inspired me. I loved Legos as a kid and all the “boy toys” - I always had a knack for building things and my parents, of course, wanted me to get a degree that would push me to a successful future. Engineering seemed like a good fit for that.

Of course, the balance is always to find something that lets you do what you love and will also help you live. I’m studying engineering but I also want to find a way to artistically and creatively do something with my career. I really need to be able to creatively express myself; I’m an engineer but I’m not a normal engineer, which I think is actually pretty common. At USC there are so many types of people and it’s great that people are going into fields you wouldn’t necessarily think they would, creating a more diverse community. My mom is a little worried about me entering a male-dominated field, but I say if I don’t go into it, it’s never going to change.

For example, I designed my own apartment: drilling into concrete, the whole thing. When I go to Home Depot to buy a drill bit or whatever, men typically assume I don’t know anything. Even men who don’t work there often to help me, but I already know exactly what I need!

There is definitely a social stigma about women not being able to be in an engineering environment. People don’t take me seriously until I prove myself, which is frustrating. My aunt and female cousin are both engineers and also struggle to deal with that.

It can change, though, we just have to do it and encourage women and girls that they can do math and science. I really like being an example to my students and encouraging them - especially girls - in math and science, because there’s just not a lot of emphasis on women in STEM. Often, girls are just as good in those areas as boys, but we’ve been preconditioned otherwise. As a woman and a tutor, I am happy to play a little role that can ultimately affect that stigma and start to change it. After all, since 2013 there have been more women than men in universities. Women are in positions where we can do these careers so we need to start believing in them and assuming they can. I don’t even want a leg up, I just want to be treated as an equal coming in, and not have to prove myself anymore than anyone else.

What are you hoping to do with your degree long-term?

I have a lot of dreams - everyone out here does! Los Angeles is just an inspiring place, everyone here seems inspired to do things and make a change. My end goal is always to feel as though I have made a change and an impact but I’m also happy and confident with who I am and what I’ve contributed at the end of the day, whether I am super “successful” or not. At the end of the day, though, I hope my hard work will pay off.

I love engineering and it’s my passion right now, but I look at is as more of a building block, a start where I can grow. I want to take engineering and do more with it. I don’t play on stopping there. There are lots of things I’m passionate about, like climate change and animals, so there are a lot of things happening that I can focus on, but at the end of the day if I am pleased with whatever I’m putting out in the world, that’s the real measure of success.

What are you hoping to do after you graduate?

I’ll graduate in 2020 after my fifth year. I’m considering applying for the PDP program to get an accelerated masters, then start working.

Is your passion for encouraging female students to be confident in their math and science abilities specifically why you became a tutor, or what else inspired you to start teaching others?

I never thought of tutoring as something I could do. In high school I was smart enough, but not valedictorian or anything. I did well enough but never thought I could teach others - that is such a huge responsibility! I thought I’d have to be so smart and know everything; I couldn’t imagine doing what they do. But my friend, who was a tutor for PCH Tutors, encouraged me to do it. He told me, “You already know and are learning the math, why not help others learn it, too?” I hadn’t even realized I could share that with others.

I realized it’s not a matter of whether you know the material like the back of your hand, but it’s mostly a matter of whether you can teach it. It’s more about the ability to communicate an idea to a student in a way that’s specifically tailored to them. Tutoring is like coaching a sport - just because you’re a good baseball player doesn’t necessarily mean you can teach it. Of course you want a tutor who is pretty well versed in the subject matter. But times are changing - kids are taught different problems and methods than they were even a few years ago! If I don’t know something, I’ll look it up, then figure out how to convey it to my students. Teachers can be insanely smart but may not always know how to teach to different students’ learning needs, which is a shame; luckily I’m here to help them! I actually have my own tutor, too - yes, tutors can be tutored! - who helps me with physics and engineering stuff.

I’m close with all my students, I love them to death. Tutoring has been the best job, honestly. I tell everyone they should do it, it’s so rewarding, and it even helps ME with school. It keeps me on my toes with the smaller things like factoring polynomials and graphing them - I actually do use those in class. I just had an engineering test and definitely used some of the material I taught my kids. Helping kids with their school is a huge responsibility and when they do better and learn it just makes it even more rewarding.

It’s pretty clear your students love you, too: when you moved downtown to USC, it looked like you weren’t going to be able to keep tutoring them. But they petitioned to keep you as a tutor, and now you’re working with some of them online! How’s the online tutoring process going?

We use both an iPad and a computer and it’s amazing - I don’t know how people did online tutoring without both of these tools! Just last night a student got home late and hit me up to ask if we could still work, like, “Can we do this now?” I was almost home so I said yes, give me five minutes to get inside! I was able to sit up and work late with the student because I didn’t have to drive and meet them. It’s really flexible for both me and the students. Sometimes their class schedules and mine conflict - for example, college students often finish our exams and head home for the holidays earlier than the high school students have their final exams. That means they lose their tutor when they really need it! So I’m excited for this online tutoring, and I have a good system going with my students.

Do you have any tutoring success stories?

There are always those times students do better on a test that feel good, but success is more like little victories that happen when I tutor and see something click for a student. I can see a light spark in them and they get so happy because they learned it and did it on their own and now they believe in themselves. The moment they actually get it - which happens all the time with tutoring - and those types of little moments are what I pay more attention to. Getting better grades is one thing - that’s what they’re paying for, that is what is suppose to happen. But it makes me feel great when I see they are feeling confident.

I’ll get off the phone with a student after a session and they’ll say, “Wow, it’s been an hour already?” I mean, have YOU ever said that about learning math? Building up their confidence is what really inspires me.

What’s something you’ve learned you wish someone had taught you sooner?

Freshman year was academically harder than I’d expected while I was getting situated in a new environment. But that happens during an adjustment. I could say I wish I’d had a better mindset going into college; I thought I was confident and a hard worker but I still had to learn how to adjust. Taking physics and chemistry and calculus was much different in college than it was in high school! But I think I had to go through that.

What is something a tutor/mentor taught you that you’ve found to be invaluable advice?

My tutor at college has been really good - if I didn’t have him to help me with school I don’t know if I would have had the confidence as I do now. It’s almost a reversal - someone doing for me what I was then able to use to help my kids. Everyone - but especially kids - needs someone to be that mentor and give them that confidence and help them believe in themselves. Mentoring is so important.

What is some advice you want to give to students?

I like to tell my kids that I feel good when I put good out there in the world. Also, see the bigger picture and don’t let the silly stuff or little high school things drag you down. I encourage students to stay grounded and realize those little distractions are not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I try to encourage them to be those better kids in high school, to help others and be mentors to others and create more goodness around them.

What do you do for fun?

I love expressing myself artistically. I’m obsessed with my apartment: any free time I’ve had, I just work on my apartment, designing, doing arts and crafts, reupholstering furniture, everyone on a tight budget. I’m really proud of it, and that’s what has made me realize I need to find some way to stay creative like that in my career. I can do physics all day long but I’m so excited to come home and work on that painting or whatever creative project I’ve started, and I’ll stay up ‘til 3am doing it. I’m going ham on this place - it’s my creative release. I’m also a foodie, so I love exploring and experiencing new places with friends.

I also love the outdoors and hiking - I studied abroad over the summer and hiked all over Europe every weekend. Now that I live downtown I find ways I make sure I go to the outdoors - I often go back to Malibu on the weekends to hike or go to the beach. Working out and being healthy is a huge part of what helps me get through everything, it really helps with my mental state and having less stress.

Ashley’s apartment, a model of her design prowess.

Meet The Team: Sophie F.

Sophie F. is a Pepperdine senior studying international studies and a PCH tutor specializing in AP and European history. Originally from Arkansas, she’s embraced the SoCal culture and, when she’s not passionately doling out anecdotes from history to her students, Sophie enjoys learning to surf, hanging with her girlfriends, and travel, travel, travel.

What are you studying and when do you plan to graduate?

I am an international studies major and I plan to graduate this April but I do not have plans for after graduation yet. I do want to move out of the country for a couple years - possibly somewhere in Europe because I study French.

How did you end up all the way at Pepperdine from Arkansas?

I toured it and fell in love with it. I love that it gives me the opportunity for both an education and spiritual growth. And the international studies major is great.

How did you choose your field of study?

I have always loved learning about other cultures and about people in general around the world. I have always loved traveling as well, so combining those passions with academic studies was appealing. Career-wise, eventually I think I’d like to go the diplomacy or nonprofit route. One of my favorite classes is my international relations class because we talk about current problems in different areas of the world and analyze how we can help - or not help - create solutions for those problems.

Why did you start tutoring?

I started tutoring because a friend reached out and asked if I could do AP European history. I took that class in high school and really enjoyed it. We also have to take classes at Pepperdine that go through centuries of history, so having recently gone through some of those classes I felt I could really help out students studying similar material.

What inspires you as a tutor?

Seeing when things click with students inspires me, especially because personally I really enjoy history. Getting to share different stories and speak passionately about history, then see students engage in it as well, is great.

Any tutoring success stories?

Specifically, I saw improvement in writing capabilities through working with a few of the girls I tutor this year which was awesome.

What is something one of your tutors or mentors taught you that you’ve found to be invaluable advice?

Never be afraid to ask for help. I’ve learned that through establishing good relationships with teachers and professors and educators. Through having those relationships I’ve been able to really learn more comprehensively and not be afraid of the material.

What’s your advice to students?

It may sound cliche, but I think time management is really important. There are quite a few times when I am tutoring and just think back to being in high school, realizing that high school is a time when you should be learning on all that: how to manage priorities and start things ahead of time.

What do you do for fun?

I love hanging out with my girlfriends, and I’m in a surf class - it’s been fun getting into that while living here. It’s fun to challenge myself to do something new. I also like to do yoga and watch movies, but I don’t have a favorite film because it’s hard to have a favorite of anything!

Meet The Team: Emma E.

EMMA E. is a psychology major at Pepperdine University. Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Emma plans to graduate in 2020 and attend physician assistant school. In the meantime, however, she is a PCH tutor, a nanny, a track (hurdles) runner, and a world traveler with a passion for students, mental wellbeing, and healthcare. Get to know this PCH tutor and hear her inspiring tutoring success stories and tips for making the best out of high school and learning how to focus and study more effectively despite life’s inevitable distractions.

How did you choose your field of study?

I was originally a sports medicine major because that seemed like great way to prepare for being a PA. But I soon realized that the classes I need for physician assistant school do not necessarily correlate with that major’s required classes, so I switched to psychology. Psychology is fascinating and such a vital yet overlooked aspect of healthcare. With this new major, I am taking classes to help me understand the mind, and now I can hand pick the classes I want to take about the body as well. I think of it a little bit like a DIY program, but it is perfect for me. I am so glad that I have this option at Pepperdine because it gives me the freedom to reach the kind of professional goals I aspire to achieve.

What do you hope to do after graduating?

I am going to take a gap year. Right now I am looking at either working as an EMT in a big city, or working overseas with a program similar to the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders. Then I will attend PA school, hopefully in New York!

Why did you start tutoring?

While taking a summer class, I had some free time and needed an income. I was referred to PCH Tutors by sorority sisters who all loved their jobs. This sounded like a great fit for me because above my passion for healthcare is my passion for children. Providing personalized education to children to effectively help them learn is vital and underrated. Both in the US and overseas, children often do not receive the attention and assistance they need to succeed in school.

I was blessed with incredible teachers growing up, but unfortunately, my tutoring students frequently tell me they feel unsupported by their teachers, that the material is not explained well, and that expectations are unfair. Learning is the most determinant factor in whether or not an individual or community will thrive, which is why I feel so strongly about doing whatever needs to be done to help students learn.

What inspires/encourages you as a tutor?

Every time I meet a student who is passionate about a subject - or, conversely, comes across information that makes their brain hurt - it lights a fire inside me. All students should have access to material that they can not only master, but that also challenges them and really makes them work. When students ask me questions that are “off topic” or down a rabbit trail, I love it because it shows me that they are grappling with the material and working to understand.

Do you have any success/memorable stories?

I work with one student who really struggles to sit still and focus. He is a very bright young man, but can be challenged while trying to sit at a desk and focus on a task. However, in the few months I have been working with him, I have watched him not only master his material, but learn about his learning styles and become more self-aware.

For example, we were reviewing material for an upcoming test and normally this would be difficult for him because there was no activity or writing involved - only verbal review. He knew himself well enough to stand up in the middle of the room and hit a ball with his baseball bat while we practiced. He was not distracted, but this activity allowed his mind to focus on the material and he ended up doing very well on the test.

What do you do for fun?

I ran hurdles on the track team at Pepperdine my freshman year. I cannot run on the team this year because of my ACL surgery this summer, but I love running and being on the track. I have nannied for three years now, and I absolutely love my girls. It is an incredible thing to be welcomed into a family in such an intimate way. I spent most of my time studying, but I love physiology so I really enjoy learning about it. I studied abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, last year and I LOVE traveling! (and I love heights).

What’s something you’ve learned as an adult that you wish someone had told you sooner?

I have always been very skilled at “doing school.” Not at learning necessarily, but at figuring out how to get straight A’s all through high school. This was highly rewarded by others in my family and in society, but when I came to college, I realized my brain had never really been forced to work before. I had never been put into a situation where I had to do more than merely memorize material for test.

I encourage students that while grades are great indicators of how well you are understanding the material, never forget to dig deeper, ask questions, and explore your passions. I deprived myself of this so that I could just get As, and I wish someone would have encouraged me to be fascinated by the material.

What’s some advice you’d like to share with students?

School is not always fun, but life is not always fair. It is not fair that your teacher assigned you four hours of homework tonight and you had to stay up late. Absolutely not. But do you know what else is not fair? That my friend who lives in Swaziland does not have access to resources in her classroom and has to be taught with kids of all ages, meaning she has no personalized learning. Oh yeah: her classroom is four brick walls on some dirt. That isn’t fair either.

Meet The Team: Katelynn Q.

KATELYNN Q. is a senior at Pepperdine University and a PCH tutor. Originally from Kansas, she now works in the college’s office of admissions, training new students and giving campus tours. Her friends describe her as “small but mighty” and she agrees she’s got a lot of sass - but lots of love, too.

What are you studying and when do you plan to graduate?

I’m studying rhetoric and leadership within the communications department and plan to graduate in 2019. I’m working toward a certificate in conflict management as well. Being able to evaluate argumentation and writing and speaking well are beneficial skills no matter what career, same with conflict management.

What do you plan to do after graduating?

Upon graduation I’m applying to a few Masters programs - including ones abroad - and I’m interested in working in different universities in teaching or administration. I love higher education and I’d love to stay on campus - primarily a residential campus - and eventually hold an administration role at a university.

Why did you start tutoring?

I learn best by verbally processing; it may sound weird, but I learn information better by teaching it. When people do that it helps solidify certain skills, so I love helping students do the same with their studies - it excites me.

What inspires you as a tutor?

I’m most inspired when I see a student improve on something they’ve been working really hard at, take ownership of their classwork, and come to their own realization of it.

What’s some advice you’d like to share with students?

When you’re on the college and career search, there are a lot of good searches out there, lots of right options. People get caught up in choosing the right one and it gets debilitating. Keep an open mind and be open to where you’re at.

Do you have any time for fun?

I really enjoy HIIT - high interval intensity training - classes, walks, shopping and finding good deals. I like cooking and having people over; I make a pretty mean charcuterie board and homemade pizza. I’ve also always been big into musical theatre - the most challenging character I ever played was Peter Pan but probably my favorite was Cinderella - those are very different roles.

Insider Tips On How To Impress A College Application Evaluator

Photo by Brandon Dowling

Editor’s note: This PCH Tutors contributor is a former college application evaluator. Although they no longer read evaluations for this university, they have requested anonymity in providing these valuable insider insights for college applicants.

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As a former college application evaluator for an elite liberal arts college, here is my advice for high school students who are planning to apply for or who are currently applying to college. These tips will help you make the most of your high school preparation time, get an idea of what to avoid when applying to colleges, and even help you attract the attention of your reach universities.

1. Don’t take it personally.

Seriously, that is the last thing you should be thinking when you get your rejections (and acceptances!) back. Every school to which you apply has a number of specific, nit-picky criteria that dictate how they evaluate candidates, which is why whether you do or do not get in doesn’t have much to do with who you are as a person. Do not base your self-worth on whether you do or do not get into a specific university. In fact, you shouldn’t be basing your self-worth on what anyone else thinks about you, let alone an admissions officer you’ve never met. Easier said than done, I know, but you have to be confident in who you are as a person even if you only get into your safety school. All of which is not to say there aren’t ways you can improve your chances at getting into your reach schools.

2. Your grades are the most important part of whether you get in.

Yup, grades matter. If your grades aren’t up to the standards of the school to which you are applying, you will not be admitted. It’s harsh, but true. Study up.

3. Take AP Calculus.

Colleges may not tell you this - and your college advisor may not know this - but taking calculus is essentially a requirement for getting into an elite school. Whenever I looked at a transcript and saw a high-performing student opt for AP Statistics senior year, their chances of getting in dropped precipitously. In very special cases, a student who takes AP Stats may get in, but don’t assume that’s you.

4. Take the hardest schedule available to you.

Take as many AP courses (or whatever your school’s equivalent is) as you can, and take the harder ones. Getting a better grade in AP Environmental Science will look less impressive to admissions officers than getting a slightly lower grade in AP Chemistry (but try to get an A in AP Chem anyway). If you go to a school that only offers four honors courses and that’s the hardest schedule you can take – take it, because admissions officers will notice. The most important thing to an admissions officer when comparing prospective students’ different high schools is not which one has the most APs but instead which student took on the hardest schedule based on what was available to them.

5. Use your essay to show your personality.

After grades, the essays were the most important aspect of the application for me when I read someone’s application. If the school asks for an optional second essay, write it. Show who you are through your writing. An essay that puts you on display can take all kinds of forms – it doesn’t need to be directly about you (though it certainly can be), but it should show the admissions officer who you are. Don’t write about how much you love volunteering because you think that’ll ingratiate you with the admissions committee. Write about what volunteering means to you if and only if it’s a central part of who you are and helps you show your personality. Don’t be boring. Have fun with writing your essays! You’ve spent your entire high school career writing essays about the American Revolution and Hamlet – colleges want to hear about you! Write about you, and enjoy the break from your academic papers.

6. Pick your recommenders carefully.

Get to know your teachers! Believe it or not, a lot of them are really interesting people and it’s worth talking to them. Ideally, you should be close enough to one humanities teacher as well as one math and sciences teacher so they can write you a great recommendation that truly speaks to your strengths as a student and a person.

Additionally, make sure to choose teachers with whom you have a good rapport (even if they don’t know you as well as they might). Teachers do write bad recommendations for students they don’t like. Above all, don’t choose a teacher who doesn’t know you; generic recommendations will significantly damage your chances of getting in and make admissions officers think you had no impact at your high school.

7. Don’t include a long list of clubs on your extracurriculars resume.

List only the few that you were actively involved in, if any.

8. In the end, which college or university you attend doesn’t matter as much as you think it will.

It’s up to you to get the most out of your college experience. Sure, Harvard may be an excellent name to put on your CV (and if that’s what you want out of your college experience, then, by all means, go to Harvard if you get in), but if what you want the most out of your college experience is a meaningful experience, you can find that at almost any school. Every school – public, private, big, small, “prestigious,” whatever – has something to offer the student who wants to get what they can from their time there.

The most important thing that happened to me during college was signing up to take a class with the professor who would become my advisor (and with whom I am still close) my freshman year. I had no idea where that road would lead, but that choice was easily one of the most important ones I’ve made in my entire life.

Know that you can do everything you can to try to pick the best fit schools to apply to and attend, but chance - and your initiative at whichever school you matriculate - is what is ultimately going to make the difference to your life.

Meet The Team: Alex S.

Alex S. is a PCH tutor from Fresno, CA, and a junior at Pepperdine University. He is majoring in biology and planning to graduate in the spring of 2020. He admits he didn’t necessarily expect to fall in love with both biology and tutoring, but it all makes sense once you get to know him and his love for problem-solving. Find out what makes Alex thrive and how he hopes to use both his biology degree and that love for creating solutions to help reduce global pollution and impact world health.

What are you studying?

My major is biology, and I’ve been focusing my undergrad research on cellular biology. When I was in 11th grade, I took one AP bio class and just loved it; in fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I loved it. From that day on I knew I was going to be a biologist. I think part of the reason I fell in love with biology is because I’ve always loved problem-solving; if you put a puzzle in front of me I want to solve it and I go after it with a single-minded intensity. Biology is kind of a puzzle in that way - you’re trying to unravel how something works and figure out exactly how something is going on.

What is something you’d like to do after you graduate?

As of now, I see myself going to grad school for research. I want to do cellular research, probably in the fields of medicine and climate change, and I’m looking into exciting opportunities in those fields. Some of the research I’ve been doing at school is on pollution's effect on the human immune system. Pollution is currently the main environmentally-related cause of human death worldwide, so I think that’s topical, and important to get sorted out. Personally, I feel convicted in this area.

What inspires you as a tutor?

Problem-solving is a big part of why I love tutoring. Helping kids figure things out is kind of a problem/solution in its own way. I also love the spare moments between problems, getting to know students and learning their idiosyncrasies - how they act, and who they are as people. It’s fun to bond with them and you end up being a tutor but also a little bit of a friend or mentor even within that authority structure.

How did you decide to start tutoring?

I spent a month one summer in Taiwan teaching English to middle schoolers, which showed me a love for teaching I didn’t know I had. I signed up to go on the trip because I was interested in Chinese and had studied Mandarin for four years in high school. But when I got over there, I was like, wow, this is great, it’s really fun!

Now when my friends have trouble in class, they come to me and I’m the one who teaches them how to solve the problems. So tutoring is a natural fit.

Do you have any tutoring success stories?

There was a student I worked with for a long time who had a lot of stress in their life - but I think my consistent presence around them while acting correctly and kindly despite the tough environment helped to mitigate their stress, and the student’s grades improved.

What’s some advice you’d like to share with students?

Try new things - really just broaden your horizons and don’t let yourself be held back by social constructs or fear. Put your finger in every pot and try everything that might interest you, because you might never know what you’ll like until you find it. Sometimes we don’t end up finding our true passions until we experience things we’d never have guessed we’d love.

What are some of your hobbies outside of tutoring and biology?

I love to go on adventures. That might be weird and vague to say, but specifically I love hiking up mountains, swimming in the ocean or any rivers, and cliff jumping. I’ve dirt biked for more than 10 years. I also love philosophy and reading Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli and Milton - I enjoy discussing those types of things as well as human history and anthropology.

Meet The Team: Lauren W.

Lauren W. is a PCH tutor and senior at Pepperdine University, double majoring in business and economics. Originally from Henderson, Nevada, Lauren moved to California when she started college and has become an avid surfer. “I’m not afraid to do anything,” she says, and you can see it in her determination to learn and her passion for finding the best ways to encourage students to study confidently and gain academic independence. Her goal before graduating in the spring of 2019 is to skydive: “There’s nothing to lose!”

What are you studying, and why?

I pursued economics in college because I had a teacher in high school who’d been a professor at Berkeley years ago and he had such a profound impact on me. I took macro and micro economics in high school, and he told me I should take econ in college. I hadn’t thought about that before, but I took another macro class freshman year, and that professor also suggested pursuing it as my major. I chose to double major in economics and business, and I’m super pumped about the decision.

What do you plan to do after graduating?

I’m aiming towards getting a position in a financial division somewhere, possibly as an analyst to compliment what I’ve been doing in business and economics: data research, learning about consumers and markets, that sort of thing. I want to start somewhere where I can get the best knowledge and have the same feeling I have in college, where people are still teaching me and I’m not just a number.

How did you choose a college?

I toured Pepperdine on a college visit with my mom who, when we went, warned me: “Don’t look at the ocean, you’ve got to look at the school!” I wasn’t sure I’d like Pepperdine, especially since I’d visited a lot of other great universities. But on my tour I just fell in love with the Christian community - coming from a Catholic background, it meant a lot to me, and I later found out the warm welcome on campus wasn’t a facade. Pepperdine has a great community and great university standing; it upholds its values and it’s small, so you get to really know your professors which helps build a better foundation for understanding the courses.

What inspires you as a tutor?

I love tutoring partly because of the great professors I’ve had as great mentors and teachers - nothing makes me feel better than when I have a professor who is super passionate and takes the time to explain something. Tutoring compliments what I’ve been exposed to - I love tutoring and I’m blessed with the students I have.

I have multiple professors from the business world who come straight from their 9-5 business jobs and teach night classes. You see that and realize they must really love working, and that teaching is a side passion. So you feel a lot of drive and motivation from those people.

Why did you start tutoring?

I did pretty well in the beginning economics classes freshman year, while some kids had never experienced it before - and many were just there for the gen ed. My mind processes in steps and I do them in my head for every problem I do, even in economics - after all, there’s a lot of math. So when I studied with friends, they always ask me to write the problem on the board, then I’d explain it, and they’d say, “huh, that makes sense.” I felt accomplished when they said I helped them understand: I’m good at explaining myself, and if I’m passionate about something, I feel like I want to relay it.

What do you love most about tutoring?

I love when I have a student who comes home with a 98 grade and says they’re going to get a 99 next time. One of my very first PCH students had a learning curve when she entered high school and it was really hard for her to get acclimated to her studies. She typically wants to go from subject to subject quickly and gets distracted, losing her train of thought. Finally, I found a way that worked best for us to study: we stand and just talk about the topic at hand, then we sit down and take notes about what we just discussed, then she teaches the material back to me. I have seen such a good turnaround, and she is now now applying for colleges and is doing super well in school. She told me she might even apply to her “reach” schools, showing them the improvements in her grades from freshman and sophomore year to her junior and senior years. I love that I’ve helped her become independent. Lots of students forget that how they do in school is not just because we tutors help them, and seeing them do well on a test on their own is so rewarding.

What’s some advice you’d like to share with students?

Don’t procrastinate, get it done - even when it comes to typing things out instead of using voice apps. Don’t cheat yourself - you’ll regret it when you’re older. I always tell students that whenever I’m in a class and assigned homework, if I have 15 mins before the next class, I start the homework immediately because the material is fresh and you can start snapping it out and honing it. Also, it’s better to study over a week in increments than cram it into two days. Flash cards and storytelling are the best ways to study. I think it’s great when you’re able to teach your parents or friends about something you’ve learned because you really understand it when you’re able to do that.

How do you think you honed such good study skills?

I played singles tennis for 10 years, from age eight to 18. That’s how I think I got my schedule for life because by the time I got to high school I had to be so strict. I woke up every morning at 5 am to work out, was at school by 8 am, then I had 30 minutes after school to do homework - I’d run to Starbucks, get a sandwich, and study really fast. Then I’d get on the court and play four hours every day. I’d go home where I’d have an hour to relax and do my work. I also had to drive myself to all those things starting sophomore year - I had to create my own schedule and be responsible for myself. I look back and I’m like, how did I not pass out? I don’t know how I did it, because now I have 10 am classes in college and I’m still drained! But it was great, and such a privilege to be allowed to grow and become an adult. I learned time management, all of it.

Do you have any time for fun?

I picked up surfing my freshman year with a friend and we made a pact to go surfing at least once a month. I now go every Friday and sometimes on the weekends. Well, I do skip January and December - it’s too dang cold, but in February I start dipping my toes in again. It’s not every day I’ll live in a crazy beach town and the water’s right there - it’d be a sin not to! It’s my de-stress zone. I’m also pretty religious; I go to youth groups at Calvary church; that also centers me and gives me a peace of mind. I always walk out feeling great and I love taking friends with me. I also play on the club tennis team at Pepperdine - it’s really fun.