Learning is fun!

Benji is the executive director and founder of Joy Tutoring and has been enthusiastically tutoring since 2006. He grew up in Albany, CA, and attended Marin Elementary School, Albany Middle School, and Albany High School. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 2013 with honors with a degree in Biology. After college he taught at Tilden Pre

Benji is the executive director and founder of Joy Tutoring and has been enthusiastically tutoring since 2006. He grew up in Albany, CA, and attended Marin Elementary School, Albany Middle School, and Albany High School. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 2013 with honors with a degree in Biology. After college he taught at Tilden Preparatory School in Albany until he started his PhD in UC Berkeley's department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Benji received his PhD in 2020 and wrote his dissertation on the behavioral ecology of spiders. 

Benji uses innovative and adaptive teaching methods to help his students thrive and excel far past their expectations. He specializes in tutoring high school math, and has tutored many other subjects including biology, environmental science, chemistry, physics (all including AP), computer programming, and Spanish. Benji has ADHD and Tourette's Syndrome, and he loves to work with students with learning disabilities. He believes that these conditions form an important part of who he is, and that - in addition to the difficulties they pose - have ultimately made his life better.

Trinity is a 3rd-year PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley studying how arachnids’ prior experiences influence their mating choices and communication. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Washington University in St. Louis Missouri before heading to the University of Cincinnati Ohio for her master’s. She taught undergraduate biolog

Trinity is a 3rd-year PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley studying how arachnids’ prior experiences influence their mating choices and communication. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Washington University in St. Louis Missouri before heading to the University of Cincinnati Ohio for her master’s. She taught undergraduate biology labs while in Ohio and Insect Behavior here at Berkeley. Trinity is particularly passionate about spiders and has been studying them all throughout her life. When she is not out searching for her eight-legged friends, she can be found dancing to latin music, hiking or singing.

Tara is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley researching the water cycle in the forests of California, Hawai’i, and French Polynesia. She earned a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences from UC Davis. Tara also spent several years on Hawai’i Island working to restore the en

Tara is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley researching the water cycle in the forests of California, Hawai’i, and French Polynesia. She earned a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences from UC Davis. Tara also spent several years on Hawai’i Island working to restore the endangered tropical dry forest. Her teaching and mentoring experience includes place-based environmental education and designing curriculum for students to conduct their own science experiments. Tara tutors English, math, and science, and loves finding creative ways to engage her students. In her spare time, Tara enjoys hiking outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends. Her favorite recent backpacking adventure was hiking the John Muir Trail!

Ed is extremely passionate about education, both his own and that of others. He has been an instructor at the university level for over 10 years, and has extensive experience teaching a wide variety of math courses, from high-school-level to graduate-level, from algebra and calculus to topology and functional analysis. He always emphasize

Ed is extremely passionate about education, both his own and that of others. He has been an instructor at the university level for over 10 years, and has extensive experience teaching a wide variety of math courses, from high-school-level to graduate-level, from algebra and calculus to topology and functional analysis. He always emphasizes cultivating a sense of wonder and discovery when engaging with subjects that are unfortunately all too often seen as esoteric. 

As a graduate student, Ed did research in classical analysis, using geometric methods to fine-tune inequalities arising from Fourier analysis. This work has deep connections to seemingly unrelated fields, such as the asymptotic distribution of the prime numbers. Very exciting!

In his spare time, he reads a ton of literature and philosophy, and when he's not doing that he can often be found writing, camping, or dancing at EDM shows.

Amy is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at UC Berkeley studying how wildlife communities respond to environmental change in California. Amy received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Geography at Dartmouth College, before spending 4 years teaching ecology to High School students and facilitating field programs in South Africa, Co

Amy is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at UC Berkeley studying how wildlife communities respond to environmental change in California. Amy received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Geography at Dartmouth College, before spending 4 years teaching ecology to High School students and facilitating field programs in South Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Texas through the Earthwatch Institute. Amy is experienced in teaching biology, writing, and math at middle school and high school levels. Her teaching philosophy is centered on fostering creativity and excitement in her student’s approach to writing or problem solving. In her free time, Amy enjoys mountain biking, playing guitar, and being in nature. 

Cassandra loves serving as a mentor and strongly believes in the power of education as a tool for empowerment as well as a crucial pathway to making change in and for our communities. Her commitment to lifelong learning fosters a deep passion for travel, learning from people around the world, and interrogating the systems that cause harm 

Cassandra loves serving as a mentor and strongly believes in the power of education as a tool for empowerment as well as a crucial pathway to making change in and for our communities. Her commitment to lifelong learning fosters a deep passion for travel, learning from people around the world, and interrogating the systems that cause harm to our communities. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Botswana. She has a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University, with a concentration in international development. For undergrad she went to Virginia Tech, majoring in environmental policy and planning, and minoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science.

Cassandra is a feminist, womanist activist working in sexual and reproductive health education. In her current role, she focuses on destigmatizing abortion and developing justice-informed curricula. She is passionate about supporting women and girls, emphasizing the need to prioritize queer and trans women and girls of color.

Masami is the Director of Operations at Joy Tutoring and is motivated by a mission to empower youth. She works in the foster care and mental health field and has prior experience in the MedTech industry. She studied biology and nutritional science at UC Berkeley and received a Masters in Business and Science at Keck Graduate Institute of 

Masami is the Director of Operations at Joy Tutoring and is motivated by a mission to empower youth. She works in the foster care and mental health field and has prior experience in the MedTech industry. She studied biology and nutritional science at UC Berkeley and received a Masters in Business and Science at Keck Graduate Institute of the Claremont Colleges.

Masami is based in Denver where she loves to climb, hike with her dog, and try new recipes!