Ph.D. from UCLA in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering graduate from UC Berkeley. With 10+ year tutoring experience, I am passionate about supporting you with chemistry, all levels of math, and ot

Find out more about Moriel

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I developed an interest in chemistry and math in particular, in high school! I love these two subjects in particular because they provide analytical explanations for how our world works that I find fascinating. I have always loved tutoring and mentoring since high school as well. I was tutoring chemistry, math, and Spanish as part of my high school's peer tutoring program and then also became a peer tutor in college as well where I was formally trained in effective tutoring techniques that emphasize growth mindset and guiding students to solve problems independently. After I graduated college, I missed mentoring and tutoring students in math and science and wanted to continue to expand my reach to students seeking support in these areas, so I created a profile with SuperProf!

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I primarily teach students in chemistry and math through SuperProf. I am qualified to assist in high school and college level general chemistry courses, and this is my favorite subject to teach, as I am passionate about learning chemistry and effectively conveying concepts to others in this field. I also have plenty of experience tutoring students in math of all levels, my specialty is in algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, and calculus! I am also passionate about empowering students to embody growth mindset and believe that tutoring is not just about teaching technical concepts but also about empowering the student to feel confident solving problems on their own and apply that confidence

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  My supervisor, Mike Wong, when I was a calculus tutor and instructor at the student learning center at UC Berkeley, inspired me. He emphasized concepts of growth mindset as he trained me and fellow peer tutors/instructors. He always cared first and foremost that students felt welcome and empowered at the student learning center. He believed passionately in all students' ability to succeed in their studies, and he trained me to empower students to solve problems on their own.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I think the qualities to be a good tutor are patience, open-mindedness, focus, leadership, positivity, flexibility, emotional intelligence, technical skills related to the subject, and warmth.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I took honors chemistry in high school and loved it so much that I also took AP chemistry in high school, so I took chemistry for two years in high school and loved it and thrived in that class, so much so that I joined the college of chemistry at UC Berkeley as a chemical engineering student for four years and I enjoyed that environment so much that I then continued to work in a chemical engineering lab for 5 years as a PhD student at UCLA. I found my classes and my research projects in the chemistry field to be challenging and require alot of focus and discipline, but it was also very rewarding, and because of my years of chemistry schooling I am qualified to support other students with their chemistry challenges!

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  I faced difficulties with solving new problems I never saw before when I was a student, so I understand the difficulty students experience when they "memorize" how to solve a problem but then are not equipped to solve a new problem they never saw before on an exam. It is through that challenge that I have learned it is not only important to practice solving problems, and expose yourself to a variety of problems in studies, but it is also just as important to become adequately acquainted with nuanced technical concepts from reading the textbook and lecture notes and integrating the concepts from the combination of these sources.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I am particularly passionate about mentoring students and breaking down complicated technical concepts and making it easier to understand, providing organizational guidance, and ultimately empowering them to solve their problem sets on their own so that they perform well on their exams. It is rewarding to see the students that I tutor and mentor improve in their courses and enjoy their courses more as well!

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  What makes me a Superprof is that I have been tutoring math and chemistry for over a decade, and I am very passionate about these subjects and passionate about connecting with and supporting students. I have been trained formally by the Student Learning Center at UC Berkeley to teach students from a growth-mindset, guide from the side approach, to solve problems. I respond rapidly, and I am flexible to accommodate your tutoring needs.