We make learning fun!
Tutoring for all subjects and ages, led by nurturing tutors with graduate education.
Meet the Team
Benji Kessler, PhD
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 Walls, M.Sc, PhD Candidate
Trinity is a 5th-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 5th-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.
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Melanie Earle, PhD Student
Melanie Earle, PhD Student
Melanie grew up in New York City. Her interdisciplinary background, combining a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Bachelor of Art in Political Science from the University of Rochester, reflects her diverse interests and intellectual curiosity. Melanie recently moved to the Bay Area to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engine
Melanie grew up in New York City. Her interdisciplinary background, combining a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Bachelor of Art in Political Science from the University of Rochester, reflects her diverse interests and intellectual curiosity. Melanie recently moved to the Bay Area to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. Melanie aims to create an environment where curiosity thrives, empowering students to inquire, explore, and engage deeply with the material. By inspiring her students to ask questions, explore new ideas, and engage deeply with the material, she creates an environment where learning becomes not just a task but a rewarding and transformative experience. In her free time, Melanie enjoys Muay Thai, photography, and a good cup of coffee.
Sherry Masood, MA
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
Melanie Earle, PhD Student
Hello! My name is Shaharyar Masood, but I go by Sherry for short. I studied Philosophy at U.C. Berkeley and Georgia State University, earning a bachelor’s and master’s with distinction respectively. My focus during my studies was Moral Theory and History of Philosophy, with a particular interest in early modern thinkers like Hume and Kant
Hello! My name is Shaharyar Masood, but I go by Sherry for short. I studied Philosophy at U.C. Berkeley and Georgia State University, earning a bachelor’s and master’s with distinction respectively. My focus during my studies was Moral Theory and History of Philosophy, with a particular interest in early modern thinkers like Hume and Kant.I absolutely love learning, and my life has been dedicated to education. I’ve taught or tutored writing, critical thinking, and algebra. I am an attentive and kind teacher who is patient, creative, and adaptive to my students. The two pieces of feedback I consistently receive from students are that the learning environment I create is lighthearted, relaxed, and non-judgmental, and that my explanations are particularly lucid and easy to follow, even when dealing with complex topics. My favorite pastimes are reading novels, playing cards, and finding a good forest to trek through.
Leslie McGinnis, PhD
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
As a biologist and educator, Leslie is dedicated to helping all learners find excitement, joy, and personal connection to their studies. Her experience teaching spans 20 years and includes all grade levels: 1st-12th, college freshman to seniors, and fellow educators teaching grades 1-6. She is particularly passionate about supporting stud
As a biologist and educator, Leslie is dedicated to helping all learners find excitement, joy, and personal connection to their studies. Her experience teaching spans 20 years and includes all grade levels: 1st-12th, college freshman to seniors, and fellow educators teaching grades 1-6. She is particularly passionate about supporting students with ADHD and other disabilities. By understanding their own learning processes, students can unlock the unique perspectives and gifts that they bring while building confidence as learners. Leslie's goal is for students to move beyond memorizing content to metacognition - thinking about their own thinking. Through tutoring, she helps students develop skill sets that they can use in any subject and grade level, building self-efficacy and resilience that will support them throughout their educational careers.
Leslie recently completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California Berkeley. Her dissertation focused on milkweed gardens and monarch butterfly caterpillars in the San Francisco Bay Area. Previously, Leslie earned her Master of Science
in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Washington. Her larger science background and interests include insect ecology, plant-insect interactions, agroecology, species invasions, and
conservation biology. Leslie's past research experience spans from marine biology to tropical ecology, to evolutionary biology. She has studied the impacts of boat noise on killer whales, the relationships between plants and insects in tropical rainforests, and the evolution of spiciness in chili peppers. As a graduate student, she taught courses on urban agriculture, climate change, insect biology, general biology, and advanced senior-level research and science writing. Before graduate school, Leslie was a 7th and 8th grade science teacher in Los Angeles for three years with Teach For America. I completed a year of graduate-level education coursework and earned her preliminary single-subject teaching credential in biology and secondary science with a special authorization for teaching English Language Learners. In addition to tutoring, she teaches after-school science programs, outdoor community science field days, and high school field biology trips.
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
Tristan Roberts, PsyD Student
Tristan grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, where his love of learning was fostered by public school teachers. After receiving a BA from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, he worked as an English teacher in primary schools in the Republic of Georgia and middle schools in Japan. He then lived in Moscow, Russia for 5 years, where he taught English,
Tristan grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, where his love of learning was fostered by public school teachers. After receiving a BA from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, he worked as an English teacher in primary schools in the Republic of Georgia and middle schools in Japan. He then lived in Moscow, Russia for 5 years, where he taught English, literature, history, and mythology in an elite private school, designed the elementary school curriculum for a private language center, and tutored private students. In 2023 he moved to Berkeley, CA, where he is currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Wright Institute.
Tristan's teaching style is based on a learner-centered model of education. He works to create a calm and enjoyable learning atmosphere by encouraging students and connecting the learning process to their interests. By breaking down complex processes into simple, manageable steps, he helps students to tackle new challenges and develop their confidence.
When he is not studying or teaching, Tristan likes to read, write, listen to music, play the guitar, study languages, cook, meditate, walk, and travel.
Anton Surenis, PhD Candidate
Anton Surenis, PhD Candidate
Anton Surenis, PhD Candidate
My name is Anton I am a teaching assistant and PhD student working out of Portland State University in Portland (PSU), Oregon. Originally from Oakland, CA I started my educational journey successfully pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree at University of California, Davis where I focused in Environmental Science and Management and Wate
My name is Anton I am a teaching assistant and PhD student working out of Portland State University in Portland (PSU), Oregon. Originally from Oakland, CA I started my educational journey successfully pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree at University of California, Davis where I focused in Environmental Science and Management and Watershed Science. Following my undergraduate pursuits, I worked at the NASA Ames facility in Mountain View, CA where I created tools that allow stakeholders to monitor drought and water supply using satellite imagery. Since that time, I’ve worked in teaching and engineering and eventually found myself pursuing higher education at PSU. My research at PSU focuses on snow hydrology where I use a combination of satellite data, field data, and computer models to figure out how snow-water supplies are changing and how the will change into the future under a warming climate. Since my time here, I’ve obtained a Master’s of Science in Environmental Science and Management and I am now in my third year pursuing a doctorate in the same subject. Over the course of my career, I have over 8 years of teaching experience working with students in 6th grade all the way through to undergraduate and graduate students. While being a teacher is one my most beloved hobbies, I am also a drummer in a local Portland band, an avid player of board games, and a big-time camper and backpacker.
Isaac Katten, MPP
Anton Surenis, PhD Candidate
Anton Surenis, PhD Candidate
Isaac graduated with a master of public policy from USC. He focused on examining environmental and carceral policies using econometric analysis. He also received his bachelors in economics and environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz (go slugs!) During his tenure at USC, Isaac was a course assistant for multivariate statistics and tutored
Isaac graduated with a master of public policy from USC. He focused on examining environmental and carceral policies using econometric analysis. He also received his bachelors in economics and environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz (go slugs!) During his tenure at USC, Isaac was a course assistant for multivariate statistics and tutored other students in microeconomics as well as entry level and higher level statistics. He loves to help people learn in their style whether it's more mechanical or conceptual. Isaac also loves to go down Wikipedia rabbit holes about particle physics, plant compounds, and learn as much as possible from folks around him. In his free time he plays basketball and piano, bikes as much as possible, and experiments with cooking.