Our Tutors

As Director of Operations, Hailey handles all things “Mindfish” from developing new student curriculum to orchestrating day to day operations.

Originally from Amherst, MA, Hailey graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina State University - ranked #1 in her department. As part of her studies, she completed glaciology research at the University of Alaska and taught and developed a new set of courses at North Carolina State University. Since graduating, Hailey has taught at the University of California, Berkley and the University of Colorado, Boulder. With 10 years of experience under her belt, Hailey specializes in math, physics, study skills, and remedial reading strategies. Hailey also conducts independent assistive technology consultations for students with IEP’s or 504 plans.

As an educator with double deficit dyslexia and auditory processing disorder, Hailey is intimately aware of the difficulties that face students with learning disabilities. While she was remediated at a young age and has learned to compensate for her disabilities, Hailey worked through countless years of SPED classes and IEP meetings. For this reason, she has dedicated much of her education to understanding the neuropsychological underpinnings of students with learning disabilities, and how to leverage that research into deliverable study strategies.

When Hailey isn’t at Mindfish, you can find her hitting the slopes, aggressively discussing the newest science fiction releases, or hanging out with her cats.

Areas of Expertise:
ACT & SAT
SAT Subject Tests: Math I; Math II; Physics.
AP/IB Courses: Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C: Mechanics, Calculus AB, Calculus BC
Specialties: Custom programs for students with accommodations, GRE tutoring, Assistive Technology consultations, remedial reading and math tutoring, study skills tutoring

Jonathan Saffold graduated as high school valedictorian at Yokota High School in Japan and has been tutoring students since 2002. He went on to study at MIT for one year before transferring and graduating from Creighton summa cum laude with a degree in chemistry in 2009. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing soccer, and traveling. Due to his father’s work for the government, he grew up in several different places, but Japan was his favorite place to live by far. When working with students, Jonathan’s goal is always to get a student to master a subject to the point where they understand it and can teach it to someone else. Always do your best is a mantra he lives by.

Helen Terndrup recently relocated to Idaho to open a Mindfish Test Prep office in Boise after several highly successful years with Mindfish in Denver. She is now available for in-person, one-on-one SAT and ACT prep tutoring with students in Boise and around the world via Skype. Helen has scored in the top 0.5th percentile on both the ACT and the SAT and has an expert understanding of standardized tests and how to succeed on them. A National Merit Scholar, Helen graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College in Minnesota and received her Master’s degree from Brooklyn College in New York. She has previous teaching experience at both the high school and college level and enjoys working with students of all backgrounds and aptitudes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, and hiking, and she’s hard at work on her second novel.

Tenzin Dolkar (“Tendol” to her friends) grew up in Erie, CO, and studied English and Pre-Med at Williams College. After graduating, she spent a year in Boston doing research on child language and developmental psychiatry. Her work with students is informed by a consideration of the many factors that impede academic achievement and prevent students from performing to potential. In the past she has tutored high school and college students in various subjects such as writing, math, and chemistry. Tendol enjoys watercoloring and being amongst books and trees.

Sophia Matuszewicz grew up in Denver and graduated from Kent Denver School as a member of the Cum Laude Society. She graduated from Bowdoin College in 2015 with a degree in French literature, and was awarded a fellowship as an English lecturer at a French university the following year. An avid traveler, she has been a resident of Cameroon, France, and most recently, New York. She is a passionate student of language and literature, and loves helping her students engage with the written word. In her free time, Sophia enjoys immersing herself in pop culture, podcasts, and expanding her gastronomic horizons.

Khaled Allen graduated with an International Studies degree from the University of Chicago, where he was on the Dean’s List for all of his 8 semesters. After a stint teaching English in South Korea, he has now been teaching test prep for Mindfish for three years and has the distinction of helping several students achieve perfect or near-perfect scores on the the SAT and ACT. Khaled recently became a Project Manager with Mindfish and took over the development of our curriculum. His book The Right Way to Take the SAT will be online and on bookshelves soon! Khaled is a strong advocate of the life of the mind and of the innate connection between mental and physical health. In his free time Khaled can be found blogging on any number of intriguing topics or coaching physical fitness and natural movement classes.

“Khaled is a GREAT tutor and person.”
(KB, parent)

Brenton Weyi is a writer and social entrepreneur. He graduated with honors from Whitman College and earned degrees in Philosophy and History, as well as minors in math and world literature. He has several years of tutoring experience, and has always integrated academic service into his life regardless of context: from his small college campus to his time as a writer for an Asian philosophy school in Thailand. With a deep belief in the power of words and ideas, he founded a startup that works with villagers in Central Africa to create lasting change through providing microlending systems and facilitating the fair trade of resources. He has also been published in various literary journals and popular websites. He can often be found dancing through the streets of Denver.

“He got a 34 on his ACT! You are a great teacher, Brenton. Eric was lucky to have you.”

Kori Gouge attended the United States Coast Guard Academy where she studied engineering, management, and political science. She transferred to Ohio University where she earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a concentration in outdoor education and recreation. She went on to pursue her TEFL in Guadalajara, Mexico. Upon her return to the U,S., she taught ESL and entered the world of test prep, teaching SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE. She then pursued her Master’s degree in International and Intercultural Communication at the University of Denver. She worked in the non-profit sector upon graduation teaching high school students college and career preparation classes. Her love of teaching then took her to Villahermosa, Mexico and then on to San Jose, Costa Rica where she tutored students in preparation for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, TOEFL, and AP tests. Her work in career preparation, professional development and tutoring inspired her to pursue her professional coaching certification. She now combines all of her loves through running her own coaching business helping impact entrepreneurs grow their businesses, teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver, and guiding high school students to perform their best on the ACT and SAT. In her free time, you will find her trail running in the beautiful foothills of Denver, losing herself in great literature and planning her next big adventure.

Henry Dobbs grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, and attended Concordia College in his hometown. While there, he majored in Business with a concentration in Economics, and minored in Mathematics and Art. He also was a captain of the Men’s Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Henry came to Colorado to study at the University of Denver, where he is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Economics. In his spare time, Henry enjoys physical fitness, the outdoors, reading (especially about history), drawing and painting.

Austin Kellogg is a basketball coach and trainer and recent transplant to Colorado. Born in Ohio, Austin graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2012 with a degree that takes 5 minutes to fully explain. A lifelong basketball player, he enjoyed stints as a collegiate athlete in Madrid, Spain, and as a practice player for both the men’s and women’s varsity teams at Vanderbilt. Austin also enjoys hiking, other sports, and mobile device arcade games. His goal is to lead by example, and is constantly pushing himself to improve both mentally and physically.

“I got 400 points higher on my SAT! Austin was a great teacher.”
(DM, student)

Sean Bjork graduated from St. Olaf with a degree in Mathematics and concentrations in Education and Asian Studies. He has extensive experience tutoring both independently and through learning centers.A longtime competitive runner, Sean contributed to winning four State Championships while running high school track and cross country in his hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota. While at St. Olaf College, he became a three-time All-American and competed in six National Championships. Sean’s interests include game theory, nutrition chemistry, Taoism and public education.

Susan Bassow grew up in Denver, and started tutoring math as an 8th grader, even tutoring kids older than she was. She has a AB from Princeton and a PhD in Biology from Harvard specializing in global climate change. Her doctoral dissertation was on the impacts of climate change and increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide on temperate forests. Following her doctoral work, she accepted a Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science to focus on science and policy concerning climate change at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP.) After having kids, Susan’s interests shifted, and she became a “non-traditional academic,” so she could stay at home with her kids. She has since kept herself quite busy with a variety of activities including blogging for Mama PhD, running school Science Fairs, managing after-school math programs, and volunteering in schools, including at the high school Post-Grad office supporting students through the college application process. In her “free” time, Susan enjoys watching her kids play soccer and music, traveling, compiling photo montages, and making others’ days a little brighter.

Alex Nichols grew up in Brunswick Maine, and attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he studied Physics & Biochemistry. He worked over the summers at Bowdoin College, teaching math to high school kids, but moved to Boulder to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He enjoys track and plays ultimate frisbee at CU Boulder. One day Alex hopes to become an astronaut.

Mac Wetherbee graduated from Tulane University, cum laude, with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics. He has Master’s degrees from the University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder. He taught college Political Science classes for four years, and presented several papers at academic conferences. He also worked for two years as a high school math teacher, teaching Algebra I, Algebra II, and AP Statistics. He has tutored many high school and college students, and has helped numerous students improve their standardized test scores. In his free time, Mac likes to read, golf, and hang out with his dogs.

Sarah Belmear graduated from Vanderbilt University in May 2018 with a double major in Economics and Political Science. During her time in Nashville, she received Dean’s List honors numerous semesters and served on multiple campus organizations’ executive boards. She will be continuing her education at the University of Denver as she pursues a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. As a former Mindfish student, she is familiar with the expectations and benefits of utilizing their test prep strategies. She is devoted to uniting her love for learning with helping others recognize their strengths and attain their goals. In her free time, Sarah likes to hike fourteeners, golf, read mystery novels, and play with her golden retriever.

Brena Adams‘ high percentile standardized test scores at a young age allowed her to start college full time at 15 and graduate with a B.S. in Mathematics (minor in art) cum laude by 20. She has taught at Metropolitan State University of Denver for the past 4 years and has been tutoring upper division math for the past decade. She often nerds out about cool concepts and about efficient shortcuts. In her spare time, she’s an eclectic artist.

An avid musician, Austin Hood moved to Denver to pursue his MM in Trumpet Performance from the University of Denver. He is a graduate teaching assistant in the Lamont School of Music as well as a private music teacher in the Denver area. In the summer, Austin works with professional marching groups through DCI (Drum Corps International) on their summer tours. Austin lives by the principle that music performance and education is a crucial and effective means of developing a society that will move forward into an uncertain age with the principles of success that have guided previous generations. He is eager to enable students to achieve their academic goals on the SAT and ACT in order to make a college education more accessible and affordable.

Micah Turner is a lifelong learner and math enthusiast. He graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in International Relations and he has spent the past 3 years as a Math Teacher in Denver in both Middle Schools and High Schools. Currently, he is working on a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, which he hopes to use in the Renewable Energy industry. When he’s not working, Micah enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and immersing himself in all things Star Wars.

Michelle Buncke grew up in Portland, OR and graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in Massachusetts. While at Williams College, Michelle was Pre-Med, as well as a three-sport varsity athlete. Michelle has extensive tutoring experience, having worked as a peer tutor in Biology and Chemistry during college, as well as Biochemistry teaching assistant. In her free time, you can find Michelle trail running, biking, hiking, skiing and adventuring in the outdoors.

Shira Hecht has her Master's degree from the University of Texas, Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, and she currently works with adolescents in the Denver area. After graduating from Georgetown University, where she studied English and linguistics, Shira lived in Washington, DC, working in media and public relations. Since beginning her Master's degree studies in 2014, she has dedicated herself to working with high school students applying to college. Previously also worked with teenagers at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth summer programs. When not working with students Shira enjoys hockey, hiking, and science fiction.

Bryan Norman graduated from Cornell University in May of 2017, where he majored in Human Biology, Health, and Society and earned a minor in Applied Exercise Science. While at Cornell, he earned Dean's List Honors and was a member of several clubs on campus. Bryan has a passion for learning and is currently working toward his Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and photography.

Jacob Riley graduated from Stanford University with a degree in biomechanical engineering where he attended on a full track and field scholarship. After earning numerous academic and athletic all-american and all pac-10 honors, he continued his running career as a professional, competing in events from the 10,000 meters to the marathon at the national and international levels. During that time he also worked as a high school track coach and as a substitute teacher to help satisfy his passions for learning and for mentoring young people. He continues to train professionally in Boulder and is excited to work with younger students seeking their own success. Besides running he enjoys backpacking and traveling, with the occasional break to binge watch a season on Netflix.

Originally from Los Angeles, Neil studied for a year and a half at Stanford, on near-full scholarship, where he ran Varsity Cross Country in his Freshman year. He took a leave of absence to visit Israel to learn about young childhood education – and he then stayed for 17 years. He helped found a kibbutz, served in the Israel Defense Forces, in 1975 met Aliza, his wife of four decades, and earned his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. After that, he earned his Ph.D. in England. Neil’s MS and PhD groundbreaking research on dimensions and tolerances has been adopted by all international standards and is used in all Computer-Aided Design systems.
Neil has been involved in education his entire life. He served on school boards on two continents, most recently in Swampscott, MA. Neil has over 20 years of teaching experience. In 2008, Neil founded a test prep center in Beverly, MA, where he was the Director, Curriculum Director, and a tutor. Over the subsequent 10+ years, he developed innovative test prep techniques and materials. He has worked with a diverse range of students, from Ivy League to extremely Learning Challenged. He has a distinctly Socratic teaching style, and he is happiest when he can help students meet and surpass their goals.
Neil’s hobbies include running (60+ marathons), religious studies, an eclectic mix of other reading, and Rotary. And feel free to ask Neil about his role models.

Kang-Ho Song, a native of Texas, is a Mindfish mentor with almost a decade of teaching experience at institutions such as Cornell, CU Boulder, and the National Institutes of Health. Kang emphasizes practiced creativity, pattern recognition, and knowledge fluency in his curriculum, and draws upon his analytical expertise to develop personalized strategies for students. Kang places importance in learning efficiency, and draws upon his extensive life experience deep educational background (Yale, Cornell, etc.) to connect with students at all levels and empower them to perform at their best. When he’s not Mindfishing, Kang can be found playing classical violin or racing motorcycles.

Lucas Carmichael has a Bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago. While finishing his PhD at the University of Chicago, he came to Boulder to be near family and to teach at CU. As an undergraduate, Lucas began helping students prepare for their college entrance exams, and has enjoyed tutoring and teaching ever since. A life-long student, experienced tutor, and now adjunct faculty member at CU, he draws on a wealth of experience and knowledge about test prep and college life. Outside of the classroom, he is kept busy by his two boys and a mess of Colorado hobbies including skiing, gluten-free cooking, kombucha fermenting, apiculture, and zymurgy.

Michelle Sirois was born and raised in southeastern Massachusetts. She attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where earned her bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. After graduating, she spent two years working as a software engineer for various startups, writing code for web and mobile applications. She is passionate about teaching, and especially enjoys helping students in math and the sciences. An avid outdoorswoman, Michelle recently moved to Jackson, WY, where she is opening the first mindfish Test Prep branch outside of Colorado! She is a very experienced Skype-tutor and still takes preferred clients from around the country while building the mindfish presence in Jackson.

“Clare loves Michelle!”
(KL, parent)