Ensures a world-class experience in student mentorship and consulting
Mr. Andy Y. Gu is a leading international legal professional, with a strong commitment to education. With years' experience providing legal counsel for companies going public, he is also a Visiting Professor at Renmin University of China Law School. He has mentored students and professionals across the world to advance their careers and spiritual selves.He holds an LLM from SOAS, University of London, and an LLB from Peking University.
Dr. Ming Zhou is an expert in career planning, education advising and business consulting. Through a lifetime committed toward higher education, he has advised thousands of students and made their career and education goals come true.
He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from Peking University.
With over a decade's experience consulting students around the world, Mr. Jonathan Ginsberg brings a wealth of knowledge and personalized care to every student he works with. Covering high school, undergraduate, and graduate applications, he has helped place students at Harvard, University of Chicago, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and many other top universities.
He holds a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Bruns combines passion for teaching with a vision for education where all students can achieve their potential. With experience building two successful tutoring companies, he brings a wealth of knowledge in how to maximize impact on student success and focuses on building innovative education tools.
As a private tutor, Stephen Horabin has worked with students for nearly a decade on standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and High School entrance exams (ISEE, SSAT, HSPT),among others. With this experience, Stephen has reliably improved student scores and worked with them to achieve their goals of entering exceptional institutions of learning. Additionally, Stephen mentors other public and private educators to improve their work with students and regularly assists with ensuring student performance. Stephen began working with students after he graduated from the University of California in Merced with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and has continued doing so after having also achieved a master’s in education from the University of San Diego.
Mr. Terry W. Protto is a professional executive -- he has served as both President and CEO in Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. And china for over thirty years, including President of Norm Thompson Outfitters. Mr. Protto has been named Global Entrepreneur by INC Magazine and his extensive professional network spans retail, international trade and finance.
Mr. Kent Kaufman is the CEO of The Growth and Leadership Center, and Executive Coach for Korn Ferry International. Formerly, Mr. Kaufman worked at IBM for over 10 years, and has served as executive vice president and ceo of several companies. Mr. Kaufman now provides leadership training and advice senior management and government officials. He also pays special attention to the development of today's youth, with specifically designed courses for student training in leadership skills.
Dr. David Speechly is an internationally-renowned Life Coach, holding A Ph.D. in Metabolic Physiology and three additional Postgraduate degrees: two in Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology, and an MBA. He has worked with, and for, NYSE- And Nasdaq-Listed Companies, professional sports teams athletes, and individuals. His clients include NFL & NBA Players, and Fortune 500 Executives from companies such as Audi, PG&E, and Ernst&Young
Dr. Xu is an education, advising, consulting, and career planning expert. He has more than ten years of college teaching experience and rich experience in student advising, innovative education, and business research.
He holds a Ph.D. from Washington State University, an M.S. from the Renmin University of China, and a B.S. from Fudan University.
World-class academic counselors and mentors ready to help you chart the course for success
Dr. Ming Zhou is an expert in career planning, education advising and business consulting. Through a lifetime committed toward higher education, he has advised thousands of students and made their career and education goals come true.
He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from Peking University.
With over a decade's experience consulting students around the world, Mr. Jonathan Ginsberg brings a wealth of knowledge and personalized care to every student he works with. Covering high school, undergraduate, and graduate applications, he has helped place students at Harvard, University of Chicago, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and many other top universities.
He holds a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Kent Kaufman is the CEO of The Growth and Leadership Center, and Executive Coach for Korn Ferry International. Formerly, Mr. Kaufman worked at IBM for over 10 years, and has served as executive vice president and ceo of several companies. Mr. Kaufman now provides leadership training and advice to senior management and government officials. He also pays special attention to the development of today's youth, with specifically designed courses for student training in leadership skills.
Mr. Terry W. Protto is a professional executive -- he has served as both President and CEO in Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. And china for over thirty years, including President of Norm Thompson Outfitters.
Mr. Protto has been named Global Entrepreneur by INC Magazine and his extensive professional network spans retail, international trade and finance.
Mrs. Pravda has served as a Director of College Counseling, Dean of Students, and School Counselor at top schools in Santa Monica, CA, Westchester, NY and Long Island, NY. She has also interviewed for the admissions offices at Barnard and Brandeis University, and served on the Board of state and local counseling associations. Complementing her vast knowledge of the college admissions process, Mrs. Pravda holds two Masters’ degrees in Counseling Psychology from the Teacher’s College of Columbia University. Under Mrs. Pravda’s guidance, students engage in self-exploration while optimizing their academic choices and plan.
Dr. David Speechly is an internationally-renowned Life Coach, holding A Ph.D. in Metabolic Physiology and three additional Postgraduate degrees: two in Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology, and an MBA. He has worked with, and for, NYSE- And Nasdaq-Listed Companies, professional sports teams and athletes, and individuals. His clients include NFL & NBA Players, and Fortune 500 Executives from companies such as Audi, PG&E, and Ernst&Young.
Dr. Wu received her Ph.D. in Molecular Physical Chemistry from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. She later worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. She was a researcher at the National Research Council of Canada and a senior Scientist at Genecor in Silicon Valley. She is a Certified Health Coach and Certified Nutrition Consultant who regulates nutrition, health and diet. Dr. Wu specializes in designing adolescent nutrition and health programs for BEEC students, so that students can develop healthily and learn and progress more energetically.
David attended the Claremont Consortium in Southern California and later attended the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. For the past 12 years, he has helped students get accepted to the schools of their dreams including all of the UCs, Cornell, UPenn, Brown, Princeton, Stanford, UChicago, UT Austin, Carnegie Mellon, and more. He has worked with STEM and CS students, but also has experience with arts, pre-law, humanities and pre-med students as well. He believes inworking with students to develop a passion in order to achieve their dreams.
David Nguyen is a passionate educator, blending his own medical research background to best guide students through today’s complex academic and social landscape. As a former Biochemistry and Biology teacher, Dave’s passion is to better society through influencing education reform, social justice, and cancer research. He likes to train the next generation of thinkers & doers.
Dave obtained his B.A. and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, and conducted post-doctoral research jointly between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and New York University.
Josh has over 13 years of tutoring and college counseling experience. He majored in East Asian Studies (concentration in Chinese language and culture) at the Johns Hopkins University, graduating with Dean’s List Honors.
After JHU, Josh worked as a tutor and education consultant for multiple companies before joining BEEC. He has helped students successfully apply to 16 of the top 20 schools and countless other competitive results. He also worked as a classroom educator for the Nonprofit National Scholastic Chess Foundation. Josh is a 3-time NY state and 3-time National chess champion with his former high school, Solomon Schechter Westchester.
Benjamin Graham graduated from UC Berkeley, majoring in Economics and History. He has worked in education in China and the US for over five years, helping students to prepare their further studies. He has succeeded in helping students with their extra-curricular development, college applications, and test preparations/course tutoring. His students now enjoy studying at elite universities like Cornell, Oxford, UC Berkeley, and many other top universities. Benjamin is passionate about connecting with each student to develop unique plans that will maximize their potential and future success.
Matthew Zonis has had the pleasure of working with students from around the world in choosing and getting accepted by their "best fit" college. Matthew started his counseling career at the Wellspring International School, in Vietnam where he founded the school's first International University Counseling Center and served as its first Director of International Advising. Following his time in Vietnam, Matthew continued to pursue college counseling work across Asia, especially with students on preparing them for life in the United States and helping to perfect their narrative and argumentative writing skills. Now fully returned to the United States, Matthew volunteers his time with ScholarMatch where he works with mainly first generation, low income, high achieving students on guiding them through the college application process to some of America's most selective schools. Outside of professional life, Matthew can usually be found on the rugby pitch playing with his local club team, Princeton Athletic Club. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies & Jewish Studies from American University in Washington, D.C.
Mili has been working in the education space for over four years. She has worked as a university admissions specialist and English language teacher, including a fellowship for Teach for India. Over the past several years, Mili has come to understand the importance of a personalized and contextualized approach to a student’s education, and focuses on building relationships and understanding the students she is working with, in order to help guide them as best as possible! Mili has a bachelor's degree in Urban Policy with a minor in Spanish and Education from Occidental College, and a master's degree in Education Policy and Sociology from Columbia University.
Ms. Wang has over 10 years' experience as an arts teacher and college arts portfolio consultant. A distinguished artist herself, Ms. Wang was also awarded the “Best Art Teacher” in China by the Art Education Committee, the Ministry of Education. From portfolio strategy and review to arts teaching, Ms. Wang has helped students successfully apply to top arts schools like Rhode Island School of Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and UCLA. She holds a Ph.D. in Art Education from the Ohio State University (ranked #1 in USA), and a Master and Undergraduate degree in Artistic Design from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Miranda Culp grew up in Los Angeles where she spent lots of time around artists, booksellers, actors, and teachers. She got her B.A in Liberal Arts from Goddard College, and enjoyed her salad days in the Bay Area singing in dive bars and working in bookstores. Since 2013, Sacramento has been her home as a professional writer, editor, and trauma-informed yoga teacher, and in 2020, became co-owner of Amatoria Fine Art Books. Miranda has contributed to Submerge Art + Music Magazine and Dame Magazine. She is the author of a short story collection entitled, The Brunt and a local history book called, Becoming the City of Citrus Heights.
David Rauf is passionate about writing and helping students achieve their dreams. With extensive experience as a journalist for Thomson Reuters and Associated Press, Politico and other publications, David knows how to find the best stories and qualities of a student and portray them in a clear, expressive way. He also holds a Master's in Journalism from the University of Maryland.
Mr. Mosqueda holds a B.A. from UCLA in History and is a Bay Area native.
As a private tutor, Stephen Horabin has worked with students for nearly a decade on standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and High School entrance exams (ISEE, SSAT, HSPT),among others. With this experience, Stephen has reliably improved student scores and worked with them to achieve their goals of entering exceptional institutions of learning. Additionally, Stephen mentors other public and private educators to improve their work with students and regularly assists with ensuring student performance. Stephen began working with students after he graduated from the University of California in Merced with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and has continued doing so after having also achieved a master’s in education from the University of San Diego.
From childhood, Erich wanted to know how the world works. He remembers being fascinated by Einstein and the mysterious-sounding topic of Relativity. This admiration and desire drove him to study physics. His favorite project during college was building a Tesla Coil. While an undergrad, he began teaching in the laboratory as a Teaching Assistant. After college, Erich worked in semiconductor fabrication and electronic testing. He still finds the world interesting and likes discussing new technologies. Outside of work, Erich enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and snowboarding. He has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Loyola Marymount University.
An East Bay native, Adam was born and raised in Alamo and graduated from Monte Vista High School. From there, he went on to receive a BA in Philosophy from Boston College and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.
Before getting his start at Beyond Education Consulting, Adam felt some of his most meaningful work had been done during the summers he spent living on his family’s farm in South Dakota, where he volunteered at a Sioux Indian Reservation and led a summer literacy program for Native American youth. Helping other people learn brought him great personal satisfaction, and he was thrilled to be able to share his passion for English and the humanities. Today, he brings a similar passion to his tutoring at BEEC, where he aims to help students meet their academic goals and develop a greater appreciation for learning in general.
In his free time, Adam enjoys cooking, soccer, playing the piano, and hiking throughout the Bay Area.
Ashley a graduate of Florida State University with a Chemistry degree. She did four years of nuclear chemistry research and tutored STEM subjects for middle school, high school and college students for work. She was also on the collegiate debate team and she is a former Florida State University Marching Chief. Now, She is a full time engineer with a passion for tutoring and instructing. In the future, she sees herself becoming a high school chemistry teacher instead of retiring immediately. In her spare time, she enjoys salsa/bachata dancing, traveling and watching football!
Mrs. Casey has been teaching for five years and has taught Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Biology. She first taught for two years in South Carolina and has now been teaching for three years in Denver, Colorado. Originally from Colorado, Mrs. Casey moved back from South Carolina in 2018. She received a bachelor’s in biology from Clemson University and a master’s in teaching Secondary Science from Clemson University. She loves travelling with her husband, reading, and spending time with family, especially in the fall cheering on the Denver Broncos and the Clemson Tigers.
Mrs. Heather Futrell has been a professional educator for 30 years. Her areas of expertise are Chemistry (through 2nd semester college level), Physical Science, Biology and Forensics. She LOVEs teaching. It makes her very happy to see the light in a child's eyes when they get it. She expects a lot of her students because she knows they are capable of a lot. She has a bachelor’s degree of science from North Carolina State University and another bachelor’s degree of science education from East Carolina University.
Mr. Marul has a Bachelor of Education and a Master’s degree in Mathematics Education and for the last several years has been coaching students in competition math programs at a large public charter school district in Nevada. Under his coaching, the school has made great achievements in all math contests. More than twenty of his school’s fifty-student team scored in the top 5% in AMC 8 since 2019, with one student getting a perfect score. Along with this achievement, his school also received the School Honor Roll Award from among the top 128 schools in the United States. The school’s team actively participates in various regional and national competitions, including the MathCounts Chapter Competition (at least six of his students qualify to compete at the State Level every year), and Mathcounts State Competition (two of four students in Nevada who qualified to compete at the National Level were his students). Outside of teaching, Ismail enjoys playing chess, reading books and traveling.
Deeply influenced by her family, Julie has great passion in education. She has received a bachelor’s degree of history from Boston University and a master’s degree of Asian Pacific studies from University of San Francisco. With her previous working experience at anon-profit organization, she believes that good education is built up by good communication. She listens to clients carefully; and understands their demands. With her outstanding interpersonal skills, she could better help students as well as parents.
As one of the Millennials, Julie enjoys technology in her free time. She also loves sports, such as basketball and golf; and she has been practicing Kendo, a traditional Japanese martial art since college.
Jacob comes with over thirteen years’ experience teaching advanced science and math, with an emphasis on AP Physics and AP Chemistry. Before that, he was a Bioengineer and Polymer Engineer at Nike, Inc. Over the past three years, he has taught exclusively online and has honed his interactive teaching methods in virtual settings as such. Aside from AP Physics and Chemistry, Jacob is adept at helping students with almost all math classes, college math and sciences, and middle school math and science.
While he taught formally in schools, his AP students all scored above average in pass rates and achieved scores of 4 or 5 on their AP exams (including a whole point above the national average in AP Physics 1). As a seasoned teacher, he knows how to meet students where they are currently with their level of understanding and will build them up to wherever they need to be.
Outside of teaching math and science, Jacob was an avid swimmer and water polo player. He won state in several events in his Junior and Senior years, then went on to play water polo in college for four years. In his free time, Jacob still enjoys sports and general athletics, and spending time with his growing extended family and friends.
John is an experienced Social Studies teacher with nearly ten years of 1-on-1teaching and tutoring experience. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in History from San Jose State University and a Master's Degree in Military History from Norwich University.
Prior to entering education, John trained as an officer for the United States Air Force and hoped to become a pilot. An injury tragically cut his Air Force journey short, but he found his calling in education, working in schools in both California and New York. While living in New York, John became a college professor for Bronx Community College and Concordia College. His experience teaching at the collegiate level translated well to his high school curriculum, as John was able to help his students build their academic skills to prepare for the rigor of college academics. In 2016, John built an AP supplementary course for his students at a Bronx high school to help better prepare them for their AP exams, and every one of his students scored a 4 or better. Outside of the classroom, John has served in administrative and leadership positions for several campuses since 2018,heading the History Department for one school and serving as an Academic Director fortwo. In his spare time, John enjoys pursuing interests such as following and participating in local, state, and national politics, sports, and classic cars.
Kim Bowers is a psychology graduate and an aspiring research psychologist with seven years of teaching and tutoring experience. Kim is also an experienced academic author and professional content writer. Kim believes that in order to succeed in life, one must have discipline and resilience at all times. Resilience and grit have always helped Kim overcome life's challenges and she, therefore, desires to instill this attitude in all her students. She not only aims to help her students with understanding their course content but also aims to help her students develop efficient time management skills. Kim is excited to help you succeed at your academic goals.
Makena Andler was born and raised in a small town in Southern California. In high school, she was a member of varsity dive and cheerleading team and was class president. She graduated valedictorian and received a 2400 (perfect score) on SAT. She currently is in her 3rd year at UC Berkely where she is double majoring in Political Science and Molecular Cell Biology. She recently scored in the 99th percentile on MCAT. In her free time, she loves exploring the Bay Area.
Mr. Patrick is an International Teacher of English, SAT/ACT, as well as TOEFL/IELTS and the lovely language of SPANISH. It is his Fervent Hope to help students with Language and Math Skills in whatever capacity You require. As an International Teacher, he has lived and worked in many countries, including China, Ukraine, Libya, Dominican Republic, and several others. His qualifications include a B.S. Diploma in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University, with a Minor in English. Additionally, he has earned a Teacher of English as a Secondary or Other Language Certificate (TESOL) from Lingua Edge Institute, located in Beverly Hills, California. Moreover, he has earned a Certificate of English Language Training for Adults (CELTA) from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom (England). Mr.Patrick believes that Leaning should be Enjoyable – even FUN! When students are relaxed and happy, they learn more quickly.
Paul is a driven educator. He has successfully trained students in the SSAT, PSAT, TACHS, SAT,ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, DAT and MCAT since 2001. In addition to being a published author of test prep books, he has over 1,000 hours of experience counseling on medical school admissions and taught test prep classes at the Harvard/MIT Kaplan test prep center from 2003-2011. When not with students, he is working with his esteemed colleagues at the MIT Mind Machine Project perfecting the first implantable brain device. His primary focus is continuing to create a group of alumni that attain degrees from the best schools. He attended medical school at Nova Southern University and received a B.S. in Finance from State University of New York at Albany.
Mrs. Abourizk is dedicated to fields of research and education. She holds a PhD and an MBA. She continues to pursue professional development and certifications in several fields. She has been teaching online for 8 years and loves seeing her students develop intellectually, emotionally and socially. She specializes in teaching English, Writing, and prep tests like TOEFL & IELTS. She believes everything is achievable with a vision and hard work.
Vaughn was born and raised in the East Bay of California where he attended California High School and later UC Santa Cruz. Following his graduation from UCSC in 2012, Vaughn has helped hundreds of students navigate the SAT and ACT exams. Very competitive, Vaughn loves sports, board games and analyzing media from a variety of useless angles. He is cursed with an allergy for cats, though this doesn't stop him from cuddling with his cats every time they allow it. Vaughn has been working with the other great tutors of East Bay Prep for several years, and enjoys finding the humor with his students in some of the more bland moments of test prep.
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