Melissa Wake, Founder & Lead Tutor
Melissa Wake has been teaching the SAT and ACT for over 17 years - that’s nearly half of her life, yikes! (It also sounds like the beginning of an SAT math problem…) She is well-versed in all aspects of test preparation from her years of experience as both a student and an educator. In 2014, she decided leave the world of environmental consulting and follow her true passion: teaching. Now, she dedicates herself to helping students reach their full potential.
As a high school student, Melissa scored in the 99th percentile on both the SAT and ACT. As an undergraduate at UCLA, she tutored privately for multiple Los Angeles-based test prep companies. And as a professional tutor, she aims to share the knowledge and skills that she has diligently acquired over the years. She shares how she gets perfect (or near perfect, because hey, she's still human) scores on the ACT and SAT.
Melissa has personally worked with hundreds of students who have been accepted to top universities around the country. She draws from her experience to tailor instruction to each student's individual needs.
Melissa grew up in Huntington Beach, California. She attended UCLA where she earned her B.A. in Psychology and her MBA from the Anderson School of Management. When she's not teaching, you can probably find her out at the latest and greatest eatery, picnicking at the Hollywood Bowl, or hunting for some artisan ice cream. (Yes, she does realize those are all food-related interests...)
Melissa's LATEST ACT scores
Melissa's LATEST SAT Score
Jeff Uyekawa, Associate Tutor
Jeff Uyekawa has been teaching the SAT, ACT, and math for the last four years. What started as a short term position that he applied for after graduating college has now turned into a true joy and passion. In 2017, Jeff particularly fell in love with teaching math, and he decided to step away from his pursuit of medical school to put more time and effort into teaching.
Jeff has always had a weird knack for standardized testing, scoring in the 97th percentile on the SAT in high school and in the 96th percentile on the MCAT in college. Now he enjoys studying the SAT and ACT to look for patterns and strategies that will help his students improve to reach their full potential.
Aside from standardized tests, Jeff loves taking complex concepts in math and re-packaging them in ways that are more understandable for his students. In high school, Jeff received a 5 on the AP Calculus exam, and he recently took Calculus 2 and 3 at a community college just for fun (I know, nerdy!) and to brush up and better prepare for his students (Not to brag, but he got an A+ in both classes). Whether it be with test prep or math, Jeff endeavors to tailor his lesson planning and instruction for each individual student’s needs.
Jeff grew up in Northridge, CA. He attended UCLA where he received his B.S. in Physiological Science, and is currently planning on returning to school to pursue a Masters in Mechanical Engineering or Mathematics. When he’s not tutoring, you can probably find Jeff hanging out with his beautiful wife Ella, volunteering at church, doing crossfit, training for half marathons, or eating incredible quantities of food!