I graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory's double degree program with bachelors degrees in Jazz Studies (Trumpet Performance) and East Asian Studies (Mandarin Language). My masters from Juilliard, also in Jazz Trumpet, was completed more recently.

After studying Mandarin Chinese intensively in my undergraduate program, I moved to Shanghai where I lived and worked as a jazz musician for nearly eight years. During this time, my Mandarin reached a level of fluency I never could have attained otherwise.

Nothing makes me happier and more proud than seeing my students break through a (figurative) ceiling in their understanding of a subject. I've found that this happens when the student is engaged and challenged, while having a playful attitude about learning. Not every subject starts out as fun for students, but working on it in the right ways can make it fun. When students feel the understanding sink in after working hard to figure it out with a tutor's help, learning can become a gratifying experience. It is my top goal to facilitate this growth in my students.