ntpa

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Keith Brown, Ph.D. With a strong foundation in standardized tests such as ACT, SAT, and PSAT, Keith is committed to guiding students toward academic excellence. His teaching journey commenced at CalTech, where he earned an MS and Ph.D. in Biology, amassing extensive tutoring experience exceeding 4000 hours. Having served as a Teaching Assistant, he has mastered the art of instilling self-assurance and motivation in students, nurturing their autonomy in learning. Keith holds degrees from Grambling State University and CalTech, equipping him to mentor students across diverse subjects, encompassing Biology, Genetics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. His unwavering enthusiasm for facilitating student achievements is evident as he witnesses their conquest of challenges and assimilation of novel concepts.

Find Keith at keith@onlinetestpreptutors.com.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Maria Harmon. With an MIT degree and love of all things STEM, Maria knows the value of curiosity and its power inside and outside the classroom. She attended a vocational high school, studying under electricians for 4 years. Her Environmental Engineering degree led her to visit farmers in India, get dirty with waste-pickers in Nicaragua, and chase volcanic smog around Hawai’i. Yet every experience has built her passion for unlocking student potential. Since 2011, she has continually tutored, first for work-study, then the Americorps program City Year, then as a full-time career.

Maria has a passion for unlocking potential not only in grades and conceptual understanding, but also in self-esteem and the joy of learning. She loves to help students combine vulnerability and effort to invigorate their academic lives as well as their emotional, social, and/or faith lives. 

In any given tutoring session, you may find Maria:

– becoming overly enthusiastic about percents and fractions,
– convincing skeptics that tests are fun, or
– sharing openly about life lessons she wished had been taught in school.

Fun Facts: Maria is a jack of all trades. She is quite handy around the house, makes chocolate board games, and loves singing a cappella. She is very involved in her church, especially helping to run a homeless and refugee resettlement ministry.

Find Maria at mariaftw@alum.mit.edu.

PLAYLIST

Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Kartik Sarda. At 25, Kartik's journey is a promising one, marked by an intriguing blend of entrepreneurship, education, and creativity. It all began at Streamline Learning, where Kartik spent three years juggling roles, from tutoring to handling their digital marketing and product development.

His entrepreneurial spirit then led him to found two startups: Saathi Global Education Network and Seven Square Learning. Saathi GEN was an ambitious venture aimed at creating a global networking platform for schools. Although it was eventually closed due to pandemic-induced financial challenges, the experience added a significant chapter to Kartik's story. On the other hand, Seven Square Learning, a test-prep company, focuses on tutoring American high school students for SAT/ACT while emphasizing their mental health.

Currently, Kartik is pouring his energies into creating a comprehensive SaaS platform for tutoring companies, a tool that will streamline operations, invoicing, CRM, schedule management, and automatic grading and test reports. His first-hand experience with tutoring gives him a unique perspective in building a product that directly addresses the needs of the industry.

Traveling and cricket are two of his passions outside work. Having lived independently in five cities since he was 16, Kartik's travel experiences have enriched his perspective and equipped him to adapt quickly to new environments. And when he's not working or traveling, you'll likely find him engrossed in a cricket match or exploring the intricacies of virtual reality. In all, Kartik's journey is one of constant learning, adaptability, and exploration. And it's only just begun.

Find Kartik at kartik@sevensquarelearning.com.

PLAYLIST

Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Josh Kutchai, a private SAT/ACT and curriculum tutor. Josh teaches all sections of the SAT and ACT as well as curriculum mathematics up to and including calculus BC. Josh grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he spent a lot of time playing basketball and piano. He then moved to New Jersey to attend Princeton University, where he majored in mathematics and minored in music. After struggling to become a famous rock ‘n’ roll star, Josh decided that his temperament was better suited for education! He obtained a masters degree in mathematics from Rutgers University, worked as a mathematics professor for a few years, and ultimately became a professional tutor in the year 1999. He fell madly in love with the profession and has never looked back. 

Josh still loves music and has recorded multiple albums during the course of his career. He also passionately follows college and pro basketball. He is tired of all the flopping! 

Find Josh at Josh.Kutchai@gmail.com.

PLAYLIST

Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Mackenzie Lee, Mackenzie Lee operates a “solopreneur” online tutoring business (website) focused primarily on test prep for the SAT and ACT, though also catering to occasional academic subject tutoring and other standardized tests. He has worked in tutoring for 11 years, first starting in the chemistry tutoring center at the University of South Florida, where he earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and B.A. in German Studies. After college, Mackenzie started working with middle and high school students on test prep, and he has enjoyed the challenges and thrills of educational entrepreneurship ever since!

In addition to tutoring, Mackenzie also worked as a biomedical researcher for ten years. In this time, he co-authored ten original manuscripts, received a Fulbright Research fellowship (among other awards), and worked in a Nobel-prize winning laboratory in Göttingen, Germany. In 2020, he completed a master’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Neuroscience.

In his free time, Mackenzie enjoys cinematography, yoga, playing piano, brewing sake and beer, travel, and the great outdoors – in 2021, he solo bicycled 3,500 mi across the United States, tutoring online along the way!

Find Mackenzie at mackenzie@mleetutoring.com.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Stefanie Toye, the Dean of Tutoring & Test Prep at Collegewise, a collective of admissions consultants and tutors. She has extensive leadership experience, of both full-time and part-time teams, and has helped individual offices, as well as million-dollar divisions, grow through her focus on marketing and streamlining operations. She has 2 decades of experience in the education management and academia sectors, after earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in education from Rutgers. She enjoys strategizing, researching current trends in higher education, and presenting her findings to colleagues and the public alike. Stefanie recently earned an Executive MBA with a focus on strategy and entrepreneurship. When not Zooming with colleagues or friends, Stefanie can be found walking her rescue dog, knitting, or eating out with her family.

Find Stefanie on LinkedIn.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Nick Rubin, who grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to graduate school for a Master’s in History and a PhD in Musicology. He taught high school and college courses in various disciplines for over twenty years and started Rubin Academics in 2019. He teaches in-person and on Zoom out of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Find Nick at rubinacademics@gmail.com.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Ingrid Moats, the founder of Tampa Bay Test Prep, who started the company as a way to give back to the community.

She worked as a math teacher and credit recovery specialist in the public school system for over 10 years and she started the company as a way to help students who were just one test away from getting their high school diploma. Through her services, she would be able to help them build up their math test skills, pass the test, and get their diplomas.

She soon realized that students at all levels, including honors students, had gaps in their math understanding and to really help students excel in math they needed to build up their foundations and strengthen their problem-solving skills.

Now she and her team of dedicated online teachers help students from first to twelfth grade.  They love introducing students to Singapore Math methods and competition problems. She hopes to enrich their math experience and empower them with skills and knowledge to perform at their best.

Ingrid is a proud wife and mother of a Purdue engineering graduate who achieved a perfect score on the ACT test.  In her free time, she can be found hanging out with her family, watching anime, and dreaming about her next visit to a pho shop or boba tea spot.

Find Ingrid at support@tampabaytestprep.com.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Jim Shaver, who has been working with and preparing students for the ACT for 11 years. He has followed a very non-traditional path to his current career in the test prep industry. After earning his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Army for 25 years. He drew from his years of experience in training Soldiers and Cadets to develop his personal approach to test prep. Jim initially began his test prep career by working with students on a part-time basis. Then, in 2021, he founded Insight Test Prep and has since delivered instruction to hundreds of students across the state of Alabama. Jim is based out of Tuscaloosa, AL.

Find Jim at jshaver@insighttestprep.net.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.