Evan was valedictorian at the High School of American Studies at Lehman College. He went on to graduate from Johns Hopkins University with specialization in applied mathematics and statistics, and with an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Evan was an instructor for multiple courses at Johns Hopkins and NYU Stern, spanning courses in probability, statistics, upper-level mathematics, microeconomics and finance. It was here that he gained a lasting passion for teaching and giving back.
Before joining NYC STEM Club, Evan was a financial services consultant with Reference Point, a boutique management consulting firm, where he helped large financial services institutions solve complex problems and improve overall efficiencies. Prior to that, he was an actuary at New York Life Insurance Company, where he created mathematical models to price insurance products.
Evan joined NYC STEM Club to use his passion for math and teaching, and leverage his experience as a specialized high school alumnus to help NYC students navigate the public and private school system and matriculate at prestigious secondary and higher education institutions.
At NYC STEM Club, Evan is the lead math teacher for the SHSAT, ISEE, ACT, SAT, AMC, advanced high school courses through AP Calculus, and college level mathematics and statistics courses.
Elana graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a B.A. in Health and Human Biology and a B.A. in Contemplative Studies. She received an election to Phi Beta Kappa for academic excellence and interdisciplinary approach.
Elana’s love for education stems from transformative community building programs as a teen, education classes in college, and post-college work as a middle school science and math teacher.
Elana grew up in San Francisco, California where she attended a competitive magnet high school, completed numerous environmental conservation internships, and ran on the track team. Within Brown’s open curriculum, her passions for science, human health, and the environment led her to study chemistry, biology, and earth science. Her interests in creative writing, philosophy of science, and the relationship between science and society led her to have additional studies in the humanities, specifically looking at the mind-body connection and our health care system. Additionally, she engaged in a long-term human development and learning beliefs research project with her education studies professors.
At NYC STEM Club, Elana teaches science and math to all grade levels. She seeks to inspire curiosity, creativity, confidence, and conceptual understanding in her students. She enjoys building from student interests and experiences to make sure students are engaged and enthusiastic.
Joe graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a B.S. in Forensic Science with a specification in Molecular Biology. In high school Forensic Science piqued his interest. The practical application of science to identify individuals or exonerate suspects was a huge draw for him. However, while working on his degree, Joe was inspired by his physics professor, eventually helping Joe to develop an interest and love for Physics. After completing Physics I and II in college, Joe quickly realized that Physics is the root of science itself. This experience influenced Joe to pursue education.
After graduating, Joe was hired to teach college physics at John Jay. At NYC STEM Club, Joe has had five years of experience tutoring Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, as well as competitive exams such as ACT, SHSAT, Hunter, and AMC.
Joe specializes in identifying learning roadblocks, obstacles that prevent students from retaining and excelling at mathematical concepts and finding creative ways to approach and solve math questions. Joe teaches his students a variety of techniques to prepare them for every possible mathematical scenario that could be presented to them on an exam.
Joe is also a fantastic one-on-one instructor and prides himself on passing his enthusiasm for math and science to his students. He has helped many students to close their knowledge and skill gaps. Joe believes anyone can use math to solve a problem once they truly understand the foundation and nature of math.
Lauren graduated Cum Laude from Duke University with a B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy and Cultural Anthropology. She was also a member of Duke's highly selective Alice M. Baldwin Scholars women’s leadership program. During her time at Duke, she engaged in numerous teaching experiences like tutoring for America Reads, America Counts, co-creating and teaching a course titled "Empowering Women at Duke and Beyond," helping run a conservation camp through Duke Engage, and conducting climate change workshops for the Quebec-Labrador Foundation.
Lauren is from Plainfield, New Hampshire, and has a passion for the environment that stems from growing up in a rural area and working at Edgewater Farm. In college, she was able to explore the academic side of environmental issues through professional research and writing. She conducted research and wrote policy briefs for the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke SciPol, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Policy at Columbia University, and the Jane Goodall Institute.
After graduation, Lauren decided to combine her love for the environment and teaching. She taught about gardening and healthy food during her AmeriCorps service term in Ronan, Montana. After her service term, she remained at the school to teach 4th-grade. Lauren also has significant experience teaching middle school science.
Lauren is enthusiastic about the intersection of STEM and humanities and believes that all children should have a holistic and thoughtful understanding of both. She is excited to be at STEM Club and hopes to foster students' curiosity for all subjects.
At NYC STEM Club, Lauren teaches elementary and middle school Math, and elementary English and Language Arts.
Samantha graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in English from Brooklyn College. She was part of Brooklyn College’s highly selective Honors Program and interned at the English Majors Counseling Office. She was also the recipient of the Ann Touger Memorial Scholarship. Following her bachelor’s degree, Samantha graduated from New York University with an M.A. in English where she completed her Master’s thesis. At NYU, Samantha was part of the English department’s Postcolonial, Race, and Diaspora Studies Colloquium, where she worked closely with faculty to host events and book discussions about transnational studies and minority literature. Samantha also helped curate an in-person archival exhibit for NYU’s English department.
Samantha’s passion for education grew from her internship experience at Brooklyn College’s English Majors Counseling Office. There, she observed firsthand the impactful interactions between professors and students, which underscored the significance of instructors' guidance, encouragement, and warmth in shaping personal and academic growth. Samantha aims to impart such influence on her students at NYC Stem Club.
With extensive tutoring experience spanning Elementary and Middle School Math, elementary-to-college level English, essay writing, and test preparation, Samantha brings a wealth of expertise to her role at NYC Stem Club. She teaches ELA at all levels and Math to elementary school students, fostering an environment where education is both essential and enjoyable. Samantha incorporates hands-on activities into her teaching methods to enhance student engagement and emphasizes the importance of practice both inside and outside the classroom.
Connor graduated from Winthrop University with a B.A. in English Literature and Language before continuing on to earn a M.S. in Publishing: Print and Digital Media from New York University’s School of Professional Studies. He is currently enrolled in City College’s M.F.A. in Creative Writing program. Connor has interned and developed projects with Tsehai Publishers in Los Angeles, NPR Berlin, and Coral Press in Manhattan.
Connor joined NYC STEM Club because he shares in its vision of enhancing education and students’ access to learning. At NYC STEM Club he encourages critical thinking in our students and fosters a lifelong love of learning. Connor teaches elementary and middle-school English Language Arts, with a focus on grammar foundations and writing. Connor is also a veteran instructor for competitive exams and under his guidance, his students frequently excel and earn top scores on the ISEE, SSAT, COOP, HSPT, and SHSAT.
Connor is one of the lead curriculum developers at NYC STEM Club for elementary and middle school English Language Arts, as well as targeted coursework for the ISEE and SSAT.
Sophia Bannister is a writer, educator, and literary researcher with a long track record of academic excellence. She graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University with a degree in English, earning Phi Beta Kappa honors and writing dual distinguished theses—one on the embodiment of absence in contemporary poetry, the other on 18th-century women’s food writing. She went on to earn her MFA in Poetry from Hunter College, where she was awarded the Thomas Hunter Fellowship. Her work has been recognized with the Miriam Weinberg Richter Memorial Award for Scholarship, Criticism, or Creative Writing and the Randolph and Eliza Guggenheimer Prize for Distinguished Work in English Literature. She has taught expository and creative writing as an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College, and organized literary programming at the Hudson Valley Writers Center. Among other publications, her writing has appeared in Zócalo Public Square, Hole in the Head Review, and Poetry Online. At NYC STEM Club, Sophia teaches middle and upper school English and Language Arts and provides college application counseling.
George graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Syracuse University and was part of the Renee Crown Honors program. During his time at Syracuse, George conducted three years of research on Lanthanides and organometallic complexes. His research was published in Inorganic Chemistry, a prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journal distributed by the American Chemical Society. George has also won multiple department awards for excellence in chemistry, including the George Wiley Award for Exceptional Performance in Organic Chemistry and the Willem Prins Award for Exceptional Performance in Physical Chemistry.
With over a decade of teaching experience, George enjoys working with students, encouraging them to self-advocate, and helping them to feel a sense of pride when they understand a difficult concept. Many of George’s students saw significant improvement in their academics and standardized test score, but most importantly, they developed a renewed sense of confidence as they become more comfortable approaching and overcoming academic hurdles.
At NYC STEM Club, George currently teaches a variety of math courses, ranging from middle to high school math, ACT/ISEE/SHSAT, and AP Chemistry.
Alex graduated from Rice University with a B.A. cum laude in Political Science and received an M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. She began her tutoring career as an Arabic language TA and has worked as a K-12 tutor, college reading and writing instructor, curriculum developer, and adult literacy specialist. She is passionate about student-centered learning, using research-based techniques and a curious, empathetic approach to help students invest in their learning and meet (and exceed!) their goals.
Since 2018, Alex has also worked in educational publishing, researching and writing textbooks for children and teens. Under the name A.W. Buckey, she is the author of over 45 textbooks on topics ranging from geology to Norse mythology to pet birds. Her work has received starred reviews in Booklist as well as the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard award. She loves working with student writers on both nonfiction and personal projects and has helped students publish their essays and poetry.
In 2024, Alex obtained a microcredential in the Science of Reading from SUNY New Paltz. She especially enjoys helping learners sharpen their literacy, numeracy, and logical skills in order to shine on standardized tests. She has helped students prepare for the SAT, ACT, GED, SHSAT, ISEE exams, and with college Essays.
