Meet The Team
Amanda
Amanda is currently attending UC Berkeley and studies data science with an emphasis in social policy and law. She tutors humanities and study skills. In her free time, she loves cooking, crafting, yoga, and pilates.
Ariel
Ariel graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in Sociology and Spanish Language & Literature. She is the Director of College Counseling for Study Smarter and has worked on undergraduate admission teams at multiple universities. When she is not providing academic and strategic support to her students, Ariel enjoys hiking around San Francisco with her husband and daughter.
Daniel
Daniel graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in American Studies. He tutors math, English, and study skills. In his spare time, he enjoys backpacking and rock-climbing and also enjoys learning about astronomy and space exploration.
Dre
Dre graduated from UC Berkeley and works as an SAT/ACT tutor and a math and AP Calculus tutor. She is originally from Southern California and loves going home to visit her little niece Amelie. She also loves playing soccer and is currently on a co-ed team.
Emily
Emily graduated from UC Berkeley. She started working for Study Smarter as an SAT and ACT tutor but is now our Managing Director. In her free time, she enjoys music, dance and yoga.
Emma
Emma is a student at UC Berkeley studying Bioengineering. She tutors chemistry and biology, and she loves to cook, play the piano, and spend time with her family and friends.
Jake
Jake is currently attending UC San Diego as a double major in Applied Math (with a concentration in physics) and Economics. He tutors both math and physics. In his free time, Jake loves to play soccer and surf.
Jamey
Jamey graduated from UC Davis, studying pure mathematics. He tutors math. He loves solving puzzles, playing board games with friends, and walking a dog around town.
Joel
Joel has always had a passion for tutoring and coaching and founded Study Smarter in 1997 after graduating from UCSD with degrees in Economics and Psychology. When he is not talking with families about test prep, academic tutoring, or the college application process, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Sara, and two boys, Jake and Charlie.
Leah
Leah is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Biochemistry. She tutors chemistry. Leah loves to spend time with friends and family, do puzzles, and travel.
Matt
Matt graduated from UC Berkeley, majoring in molecular and cell biology & integrative human biology. He is currently back at Cal to pursue his California teaching credential. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, singing, traveling and experiencing new things. Matt is really passionate about teaching students science, and is excited to help students succeed in school!
Mel
Mel is a graduate of Wellesley College and a former 9th grade English teacher. She provides support for the ACT, the independent school admission tests, college essay writing, study skills, and a variety of classes. In her free time, she writes songs about dinosaurs and creates stop motion science videos. You can always find her with a notebook in hand and rocks in her pockets!
Nicholas
Nicholas is currently attending Soka University of America as a Liberal Arts major on the pre-dental track with a concentration on Life Sciences. He tutors both biology and chemistry. In his free time, Nicholas loves to cook, spend time with friends and family, and play soccer and chess.
Nick
Nick is a graduate of UC Berkeley and a tutor of the SAT, the ACT, the independent school admission tests, physics, and math. He's a board game and trivia lover and occasionally manages to hit some tennis balls over the net. In about ten years he also plans to tour the world as a harmonica virtuoso.
Nisha
Nisha is currently attending UCLA as a Psychobiology major on the pre-med track. She tutors math, biology, English, and history. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, and going to the beach.
Will
Will is currently attending UC San Diego where he is majoring in computational physics. He tutors physics with Study Smarter. In his free time, he enjoys tormenting his twin brother, playing soccer, and making his friends question why they agreed to a friendly game of ping pong.