MEET OUR TUTORS

At Smart Minds, we believe that great tutors can make our students better. Our talented tutors are high performers with a demonstrated history of academic excellence who have a recent history of performing well on the SATs (All SMT SAT tutors have scored at least 1540 on the SAT exam). Many companies hire workplace professionals who are often decades removed from an actual contemporary SAT test-taking experience. Not us! Because we hire recent high school graduates, they’re going to be way more effective than older tutors who haven’t recently taken the SATs. Our tutors are also specialists in helping students bounce back from devastating defeats. In this way, SMT students learn to be resilient.

Abdullah Shuaib

 

Abdullah is an incoming freshman at UMD majoring in computer science, physics, and math. His passion for learning knows no bounds and encompasses such diverse areas as mathematics, psychology, and science. Abdullah took the SAT for the first time in October of 2018 and scored a very impressive score of 1550 total!

Abdullah made the most of his educational opportunities by enrolling in the local community college and Johns Hopkins University. He took advanced math and computer science courses at both places after he burned through all the educational content his high school had to offer.

In his spare time, he loves to read books, long-form articles, and blogs. Other interests of his include programming, basketball, and investing in stocks.

Abdullah is available for tutoring for the SAT examination, AP Exams [AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP U.S. History, AP World History], and the College Search Process.

Never set the bar low unless you're playing limbo.

Aislinn Verma

Aislinn loves helping students from all walks of life better themselves academically and personally. She worked hard on the SAT and wants to share her experiences to help students achieve the best score they can.

Her intellectual gifts were readily apparent when she attended John P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey. While there, she received the “AP Scholar with Distinction” and “National AP Scholar” awards from the College Board for her AP test performance.

She’s currently a sophomore at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, where she’s pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

Her cumulative grade point average is 3.83. On her taking of the SAT, Aislinn received a very impressive overall score of 1560!

She was selected to be a part of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Honors College. She was also awarded the President’s Scholarship, which will give her $48,000 towards tuition costs over four years.

In March of 2020, her team placed third at the Morgan Stanley Stock Pitch Competition.

Another program she was selected for was the Women in Finance Mentorship Program, which connects female students and alumni working in investment banking, sales and trading, asset management, and equity research.

Aislinn is available for tutoring for the SAT examination.

An SMT Tutor will work very closely with you

Hongze Khor

Hongze came from Malaysia when he was two years old.

He graduated from Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville, MD, with a 4.85 GPA and a 1570 (800 Math, 770 Reading) on the SAT and was a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. In high school, he participated in the math club, where he placed in the top 40 in the entire country in 2019.

His further academic plans include going to Georgia Tech to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.

Hongze is available for tutoring for the SAT examination, ACT examination, and the following AP Exams [AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, AP Physics C: Mechanics].

Never doubt that you can do well with the right knowledge and the tools to use it.

Jacky Zheng

Jacky’s desire to become a tutor stems from his firm belief that, given enough time, effort, and practice, every student can succeed. He knows that impeccable study habits and an organized, productive workflow are much more important than academic talent, and his tutoring philosophy reflects this through the prioritization of efficient study habits over raw study hours.

He wants his students to realize this so they, too, can achieve just as much as their top-performing peers. Jacky got an extremely impressive score of 1580 on his SAT.

He is now available for tutoring on the following subjects:

SAT
Chemistry (up to AP level)
Introductory Computer Science (roughly AP level)
English (up to both AP and collegiate levels)
Physics (up to AP 1 level)
Mathematics (up to AP BC level)
Biology (up to AP level)
Any subject not listed to an honors high school level (feel free to inquire)

SMT knows the rigors of the SAT

Ria Kapoor

Ria is a senior at the University of Maryland majoring in Cell Biology & Genetics and minoring in Spanish and Creative Writing. She has a passion for both STEM and humanities, and loves learning the strategy and logic required to succeed in math and science related courses, and the open-ended thinking required for english.

Ria graduated from high-school with a 4.80 GPA and a 1540 SAT score (790 Math and 750 Reading). She is also a part of the Gemstones Honors program in the UMD Honors College, where she is working with a team of eight other sophomore students to develop a treatment for GBM brain tumors with a nanoparticle drug delivery system.

Ria is available to tutor for the SAT examination, AP Exams [AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition] and the College Search Process.

Aim High, Reach High, Excel High

Rama Varanasi

Rama is a high school senior near the top of his class at East Chapel Hill High School. He has always had a passion for math and science and believes that everyone should have the opportunity to excel academically. He’s a part of the National Honors Society, boasts a super high GPA, and has done volunteer tutoring in chemistry, the SAT exam, high school level math, high school level English, and writing in the recent past. Rama scored an astounding 1570 (800 Math, 770 English) on the SAT exam on his first try! He has tutored a number of students already in the SAT (from those who have had lower scores to those who have had higher scores). The teachers and school administrators at his high school hold him in very high regard.

If you want it, SMT will help you get it!

Henry Liu

Henry is a high school senior at East Chapel Hill High where he boasts straight A’s with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. He is currently ranked 1 in his class and will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He scored a 1570 on the SAT (800 Math, 770 Reading) and a 35 on the ACT both on his first try. He is an active member of the National Honors Society, participated in his school’s Science Olympiad for four years, Science Bowl, and Mock Trial team. He also plays competitive Volleyball in his free time. He has experience tutoring in AP Calculus, high school math, AP Chemistry and worked as a trainer at PDQ, a restaurant he works at.

Henry is available to tutor in the SAT examination, ACT examination, as well as High School level math and the AP Calculus AB or BC test, as well as Calculus 3/multivariable Calculus. Henry is very personal, patient, and always focused on what he can do to make his tutoring students have big success!

We can find success together!

Ocarina Lin

Ocarina is an incoming freshman at the University of Maryland College Park on the full Banneker/Key Scholarship, where she plans to study Computer Science and Business. She attended Glenelg High School in Howard County, Maryland, with a cumulative grade point average of 4.0 (unweighted), and as a member of several extracurriculars, including Vice President of Class SGA, debate, Key Club, Intern/Mentorship program, band, and ice hockey. Outside of school, Ocarina has participated in STEM clubs and performed in multiple orchestras as principal oboist.
Ocarina took the SAT in December 2020, where she received a score of 1580 (790 reading, 790 math). She has also taken nine AP exams so far, with scores of 5 on seven of them. These achievements have named her a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction. Ocarina has extensive experience in tutoring. She tutors as part of her school’s National Honor Society, STEPS organization, and the Do Re Mi Project, where she is also the Maryland Director of Recruitment. Her knowledge of expertise in tutoring includes various subjects that range from first grade math to music theory.

She is available to tutor for the SAT examination and selected high school course topics.

Passion for Excellence

Annie Qin

Annie is a student at Duke University, where she plans to major in biology and minor in chemistry. She graduated high school with a SAT score of 1540 (790 Math/750 Reading), ACT score of 35, and was valedictorian of her class.

Annie has extensive individual and group tutoring experience in both STEM and humanities subjects. She has taught high school chemistry, French, environmental science, and math. She also volunteered as a tutor for low-income elementary and middle school students. During high school, she took classes such as college-level Linear Algebra, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP US History, and more. She has held leadership positions in many organizations, like Science Olympiad, the Student Environmental Education Coalition, and InspiHER.

Besides tutoring, Annie enjoys hiking, swimming, and reading. Annie’s positivity, dedication, experience, and organization means that she will always put the student first. She is dedicated to making sure that the student understands the reasoning behind any correct answer, as well as the answer itself. Annie is available to tutor in the SAT exam, ACT exam, high school math and science, AP US History, AP Calc AB, AP Psychology, and AP Environmental Science.

 

Positive Mindset and Attitude can take you far!

Patrick Kim

Patrick is a rising freshman at Virginia Tech, where he will be majoring in Electrical Engineering. As a part of Richard Montgomery High School’s IB program, Patrick graduated with an IB diploma, scoring 42 out of 45 total points in IB. He scored 5’s on the AP Calculus, Statistics, US History, and US Government exams. He also scored a 1560 (770 reading, 790 math) on the March 2021 SAT. As part of Richard Montgomery’s National Honor Society, Patrick has extensive experience tutoring peers on various school, AP, and IB subjects. Patrick is a diligent student who graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and as a leader in multiple extracurricular activities including math team captain, math modeling club member, piano club founder, competitive swimmer, National Honor Society tutor, AP Scholar with distinction, and AIME contestant. Patrick scored 5 (highest score) on a number of AP examinations as well.

Patrick is available to tutor for the SAT examination, AP Calculus, AP US Government, and AP Physics.

Hard work pays off!

Sahishnu Hanumolu

Sahishnu is an incoming freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and got into their M&T program, which is the university’s most selective coordinated dual-degree program between the school of engineering and Wharton. He just graduated as a senior at South Fayette High School as valedictorian, where he holds a ranking at the top of his class with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. He recently took the SAT in September 2020, scoring a 1580 (800 math and 780 reading) as well as the ACT in December 2020, receiving a 36. Since then, he has coached several of his peers to their desired scores, working with them every step of the way. His teaching style emphasizes patience and maintaining focus on your personal needs. Hence, he hopes that, by working with you, you can achieve your target score. Outside of his standardized testing, Sahishnu also has experience tutoring in the past, participating in after school tutoring for Spanish and mathematics at the high school level, mentoring younger students in Debate Club, and helping other members of the National Honors Society as an officer. Through activities both in and out of the classroom, he has established a strong foundation in mathematics, science, and reading. Along the way, Sahishnu has also acquired the intangible interpersonal communication and leadership skills necessary to help others reach their full potential. He got 5s on his AP tests for Computer Science Principles and Psychology.

Sahishnu is available to tutor in the SAT examination, ACT examination, high school level math, and AP tests AP Computer Science Principles and AP Psychology.

You can do it

David Zhang

David Zhang is a senior in Guilford High School in Connecticut and is a sophomore at NYU. In his free time, he loves to code, whether that’s Unity, Web design, or algorithms. He also loves running, chilling, and playing D&D with friends. During High School, he was involved with multiple extracurriculars including robotic, swimming, and playing within the band. For the SAT, David got an impressive score of 1550(Math: 790, English: 760), but believes that, in the end, everyone is capable of doing well in the SAT. The enthusiasm he feels towards teaching comes from an understanding of his own innate struggles, and experience with others in that same position. David believes “Smartness” isn’t something people feel and just because one doesn’t think they’re smart shouldn’t stop them from pursuing their dreams. The moment a student discounts themselves it’s an uphill battle. David strives to help his students to find that confidence within their studies, and carry that confidence even beyond their immediate struggles. David is available for tutoring on the SAT exam.

David Zhang

Believe in yourself, and believe that you can achieve.

Alex Yum

Alex graduated from Wissahickon High School in Ambler, PA as the valedictorian of his class and is currently a junior at the University of Pennsylvania. He took the SAT once, scoring a 1580 (800 Math, 780 Reading) and is also a National Merit Finalist having scored a 1490 out of 1520 on the PSAT. In high school, Alex took 13 AP classes. He boasted a 3.96 unweighted and 5.94 weighted GPA after his four years.

Alex loves the SAT and standardized tests. He believes that anyone can do well on these exams, but not everyone recognizes the patterns that make the test so much easier. His goal as a tutor is to make the SAT less stressful by guiding his students to find these patterns, and he hopes that his students will be able to enjoy standardized tests as much as he does.

Alex is available for tutoring the SAT examination, ACT examination, AP exams [Calculus AB, Calculus BC, English Language and Composition, English Literature, U.S. History, Physics 1], and any honors or academic level class (feel free to inquire).

Academic Career:

Alex is a part of the class of 2025 at the University of Pennsylvania, a top-10 Ivy-League school in the United States. On both the pre-medicine and pre-law track, he is pursuing a major in Health Policy and Law as well as a second major in Communication with a concentration in Politics and Policy.

As surprising as it may sound, Alex has a life outside of school. In high school he was extremely involved in several school clubs: Science Club (president), Brain Psychology Club (founder), National Honor Society (webmaster), Spanish National Honor Society (president), Jazz Band (section leader), and varsity tennis (captain). In college, he’s a beatboxer in his a cappella group, a member of a pre-law fraternity, and an editor for several student-run academic journals across different subjects and disciplines (medicine, law, culinary, bioethics). Perhaps his most important attribute, he enjoys mint chocolate chip ice cream, which means that he’s more biologically evolved than his peers.

Whatever you do always give 100% unless you’re donating blood

Carina Lei

Carina recently graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and is an incoming freshman at Duke University, where she plans to major in psychology on the pre-med track. She left high school with a 4.0 GPA and has extensive tutoring experience through volunteering at her local Chinese school, one-on-one private tutoring, and leading a group SAT Reading and Writing class of 50 students as a SMath Tutor. She has tutored for high school physics, chemistry, math, English, and the SAT. She scored a 1580 (780 reading, 800 math) on her SAT and 5’s on the AP Calculus, Environmental Science, World History, and Chinese exams. She has been named a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction and has been involved with Science Olympiad, competitive swimming, and competition piano for many years, winning numerous awards.

Outside of academics, Carina enjoys being involved in several other extracurricular clubs, including art club, cultural clubs, and Food Ark! She likes tutoring students and always works with the student so that they have a clear enough grasp of the material to be able to teach it back.

Carina is available to tutor for the following courses: SAT exam, AP Chemistry exam, AP Chinese Language & Culture exam, AP Calculus AB exam, AP Calculus BC exam, and the college applications process.

Love what you do and you can go far!

Pranav Jaganathan

Pranav is a senior at Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas. He is very passionate about helping others become the best version of themselves, especially in education, leading him to Smart Minds Tutoring in hopes of helping students achieve their testing goals. He has scored a 1570 (790 in Math and 780 in Reading and Writing) in August of 2020 and ranks at the top of his class with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. He is involved in his school’s DECA chapter as the Chapter President, leading his chapter to have one of the highest number of International competition qualifiers in Texas, and plays the saxophone in his school’s band, both marching and concert. He does have tutoring experience as he helped students in and around his community catch up on various subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pranav hopes to major in economics in college and then go onto law school. Aside from school and his extracurriculars, Pranav loves to compete in tennis, hang out with family and friends, and eat really amazing food.

Find time to practice and you will be closer to perfection!

Justin Okorie

Justin is a current senior at Glenelg High School with a 4.73 GPA. Recently accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he intends on pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. On his first sitting in March of 2021, Justin scored 1530 on the SAT (730 EBRW/800 MATH). This was enough to place him as a National Merit Commended Scholar.  Justin has also taken a vast amount of AP exams including Calculus BC, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, U.S. Government, and Macroeconomics, where he scored perfect 5s on all of his exams. Pursuing higher education, Justin has taken Differential Equations and classes equivalent to AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, and AP World History: Modern at Howard Community College.

Interning at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Justin builds upon his passion for mathematics and physics, researching fluid mechanics.

In his free time, Justin cooks Nigerian meals with his grandparents and explores more of his culture.

Justin is available to tutor in SAT, AP Calculus, higher math, AP Physics, and AP Statistics.

Reach higher and you will get there!

Tanay Naik

Tanay is an incoming freshman at the University of Maryland planning to major in computer science. He is an enthusiastic and experienced tutor who emphasizes a personalized approach in his sessions, believing that anyone is capable of finding academic success with a determined approach and the right guidance.

Through diligent and organized practice, Tanay scored a 1550 (800 Math, 750 Reading) on the SAT on his first try and a 1490 out of 1520 on the PSAT, earning him the National Merit Scholarship. Throughout high school, Tanay has successfully guided students from a broad range of academic backgrounds in SAT preparation and has tutored students in a number of AP classes.

While tutoring, he ensures a positive and productive atmosphere, keeping sessions engaging and focused. He is genuinely passionate about fostering a collaborative and supportive learning environment, empowering students to reach their full potential. Whether it’s preparing for standardized tests or seeking guidance in a subject, Tanay is committed to providing students with the tools and strategies they need to succeed.

Tanay is available for tutoring on the SAT exam.

Hard work pays off!