Hi, I’m Jess.
I am an organic chemistry tutor, and I love to convey information in a way everyone can understand.
As a graduate of the University of Florida with a B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science and a minor in Nutritional Science, I use my in-depth understanding of the natural sciences and teaching experience to provide comprehensive organic chemistry tutoring services to undergraduate students on the pre-health track.
My Story
My journey with organic chemistry probably began in a similar way to yours:
As a terrified freshman, I quickly heard that this would be the class that would determine if I was cut out to be a doctor.
Whether or not that was true, my fear of failure led to me studying like a maniac.
For two semesters I lived and breathed organic chemistry.
And consequently, I found myself in a weird position…
I felt like I understood organic chemistry more than I’d ever understood another subject.
Looking back on my journey through the classes and reflecting on the good (the 98% test scores), the bad (the literal all-nighters), and the ugly (the tears...), I noticed one constant variable:
The impact a teacher can have on helping you understand a subject is invaluable.
In my pursuit of mastery of the class, I was enamored by how eloquently my professors and TAs could describe such a complicated subject.
Then, I found myself experimenting with my own methods of explanation as I helped my friends study.
Inspired by my great instructors to embrace my passion for teaching and help people through this make-or-break part of their undergraduate career, I became an undergraduate teaching assistant for Dr. Jason Portmess at the University of Florida.
During the five semesters that I was an organic chemistry teaching assistant, I held office hours twice a week. In these sessions, I taught a prepared lesson of what I considered the most important topics that week, answered questions, and offered strategies to perform well in the class.
When I was a senior, I took on more responsibility and became Head Teaching Assistant or Student Instruction Leader. In addition to office hours, I managed the other TA’s, wrote worksheets and practice exams, held live exam reviews in lecture halls with up to 400 students, and overall, made myself available for my students to help them succeed the best I could.
From there, students began approaching me for private tutoring sessions, and the rest is history. Rather than using this experience as a stepping stone to a career in healthcare, I fell in love with education and the ability to help others pursue their dreams.
Creating Understanding Orgo wasn’t the original plan, but I hope it changes your life like it has mine.
