Our Tutors
All of Vogel Prep’s instructors have master’s degrees, and more than half of them have doctoral degrees. They all have years of successful teaching experience, a passion for teaching, interesting life experiences, and a variety of teaching styles that make students responsive, challenged, and excited to learn. Your student's education is too important to trust it to anyone less than a qualified, certified instructor.
Tucker holds a BA in German studies and linguistics from the University of Arizona; subsequently, he completed an MA in ESL, also at the University of Arizona. During his studies, he had a chance to study German, French, Spanish , Dutch, Mandarin Chinese, Navajo and Tohono O'odham (in addition to his native English). This language study has given Tucker a rich understanding of the nature of English, its roots, and language in general. For the past 6 years, Tucker has worked as an English teacher, mostly at the collegiate level, and he has a large amount of experience helping students to prepare for the rigors of college writing. Additionally, Tucker is a three time Jeopardy! champion.
Montye holds a doctorate degree in Ethnic Studies and American Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in 19th and 20th century American literature and American poetry. Montye has published numerous scholarly articles in the fields of American literature and American history, and is an accomplished researcher and writer. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from California State University, Long Beach. He taught on the faculty at Arizona State University for eleven years before leaving the university to co-found a consulting firm, the Institute for Common Environments, LLC. Montye enjoys teaching students of all ages, and coaching students to compose well-written and compelling essays. He has 14 years of experience at Vogel Prep as a Master Tutor in English Literature, World and US History, and SAT/ACT Test Prep. He has helped many students get 4s and 5s on their AP exams and assisted students in creating essays that give college admission officers an inside look at what makes your student so special.
Malcolm earned his Bachelor of Science at the University of Cincinnati and his Master’s in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Virginia. He is an award-winning Biology and Advanced Placement Biology teacher, having taught at The Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California, Fairfax County Public Schools in the metro Washington, DC area, George Mason University’s Early Identification Program in Fairfax, Virginia, and Scottsdale Unified School District. For 45 years, he taught hands-on/minds-on Biology, stressing engagement, and active studying. For 42 years, he taught college-level laboratory-centered Advanced Placement Biology, during which his students consistently scored significantly above the state and national average pass rate on the College Board's Advanced Placement Biology exam (high 80/low 90% pass rate vs high 50/low 60% pass rate). Malcolm has been recognized as Teacher of the Year at each school he served, along with being nominated for several state and national teaching recognition awards through the National Association of Biology Teachers and the National Science Teachers Association. He has been involved in Biology and Advanced Placement Biology curriculum development and teacher training throughout his career in all his teaching positions. He has presented both Biology and Advanced Placement Biology best practices at state and national science teacher conventions. Malcolm earned, and successfully renewed, his prestigious National Board Certification in Young Adult and Adolescent Science Education.
Sam is currently a mathematics teacher at North Canyon High School. He was elected by the PVUSD Governing Board in 1988 to serve as the Department Chair of the Math Department at North Canyon HS. He believes that all students can learn with the proper guidance and works tirelessly to that end.
He holds a Bachelor's in Mathematics from ASU and a Master's degree in Education from the University of Phoenix. He has taught all levels of math including AP Statistics, AP Calculus, and Topics in College Algebra. He worked as an AP Statistics reader for several years most recently in June of 2020. Has been an adjunct instructor at Paradise Valley Community College and worked as a Department Chair for the Mathematics department for the last 8 years.
Simo received his Ph.D from Caltech in 1995 majoring in chemistry. He has worked internationally at various universities and his research has focused on aquatic chemistry. Simo has supervised numerous Masters and PhD students during his career and he has published extensively. He has received teaching awards for his teaching excellence and enjoys teaching chemistry, math and physics. He is very personable and liked by his students, while he also challenges them with various interesting classroom examples and homework and exam problems.
Jared earned an MS degree in physics in 2009 for research into novel applications of quantum theory in condensed matter physics. Since then, he has worked as an independent physics consultant for electronic hardware design and as a subject matter expert in physics for software design. In addition to his pursuits in the technology sector, he has continued to teach college and high school students as a private tutor in physics, mathematics, and engineering. His love for teaching physics and math, his thorough and detailed understanding of important concepts, and his unique talent for communicating those concepts make Jared an outstanding tutor for physics and math students at all levels.
Michelle graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1998 and then served as a Quartermaster officer stationed both in the US and Europe. She deployed with the 1st Infantry Division to Kosovo in 1999 and while there was named a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International for her work with the local villages and schools surrounding Camp Bondsteel. After earning her MEd and PhD, Dr. LaVicka taught French, History, Economics, and Mathematics for 7th-12th grade students before moving to the college classroom to continue mathematics instruction while chairing the college’s Mathematics and Science department. A perpetual student, she also earned an MBA and continues her academic and research pursuits as a dissertation coach and Q-methodologist. An avid traveler, she has visited and explored over 130 countries on all 7 continents.
Taylor holds a B.S. in anthropology & biotechnology and an M.S. in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. During her studies, she was a teaching assistant for organic chemistry and cellular biology courses. She is currently working to obtain a graduate certificate in bioinformatics from the University of California San Diego. She has extensive biomedical research experience in both environmental and pharmaceutical labs. Taylor has tutored in a wide range of topics, including math, biology, chemistry, and anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and traveling.
Kendra holds a BA in History and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction, both from University of Denver. Her graduate studies focused on Gifted Education and STEAM at an innovation school. She is a highly qualified and certified secondary teacher in English and Social Studies. While she spent the past seven years teaching Language Arts and Social Studies in middle school, she has taught students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. She specializes in building students’ executive functioning, especially for those who learn unconventionally! In her spare time, she enjoys creating art, reading voraciously, and gaming with friends.
Ali received his M.A. in Math Education from Claremont Graduate University in 2013. Having worked as a math educator since 2014, he recently transitioned into the actuarial profession. He still has a passion for helping others succeed in math and is excited to be part of the Vogel Prep team. His extensive experience allows him to provide students with a variety of the most effective methods and approaches. In his free time, Ali enjoys spending time with his family and watching sports.
Serdar earned a PhD in mathematics with a focus on probability and random graphs from Indiana University Bloomington in 2008. As an assistant professor for many years, he published in top math journals. Throughout his career, he gained extensive teaching and private tutoring experience at the secondary and collegiate level. He also worked as a data scientist for 3 years and is fluent in many coding languages, machine learning, and statistical concepts. His unique background and passion for teaching make Serdar an excellent tutor for students at all levels.
Riley holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Since acquiring it, he has worked in the Telecommunications and Utilities industrial sectors, and is now bringing his Engineering experience to Vogel! As for educating others, Riley brings over a decade of experience teaching children in the form of a Martial Arts after-school program, working to not only build self-defense and athletic skills, but strong character in his students. His two career paths, now converging, have resulted in a tutor who is patient, insightful, encouraging, and always ready to learn more. On the personal side, Riley is an enormous nerd, fond of all forms of games in particular - card, board, and video. Look forward to his jolly personality, well-practiced etiquette, and confident support for your child's unique needs!
Deborah holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics. She is currently an adjunct professor for local colleges and other universities throughout the Phoenix area. She was a high school mathematics instructor for 15 years and taught dual enrollment mathematics courses that include College Algebra, Business Calculus and Calculus with Analytic Geometry. Courses taught at university level are Statistics, Calculus and College Mathematics. Ms. Radford is also an author and looks forward to writing sequels to her current published works. In her spare time, she can be found supporting today’s youth through volunteer programs in the community.
Marie-Anne holds both a master’s degree in Comparative Literature in French and Spanish and a BA in Spanish Literature and Secondary Education from Arizona State University. As a native French speaker who moved to the U.S. in 1993, she has a unique background as a certified Spanish and French teacher. She has lived in Barcelona, Mexico, and Costa Rica and traveled extensively throughout Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Marie-Anne has taught at both the collegiate and secondary education levels. Her passions include languages, world cultures, cooking, and being a grandmother of five.
Amanda is a passionate educator with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Florida, Amanda has over 15 years of diverse experiences in education. After teaching in public schools for a few years, Amanda had the opportunity to become a Youth Education Series Program Instructor and Guest Talent Coordinator at Walt Disney World. After moving north to Illinois, she became a part of a private school for gifted learners and found her true passion of guiding and supporting children of all ages in their social-emotional growth.
With a growth mindset and wanting to learn more about another culture, Amanda then went on to live and teach abroad in Osaka, Japan for three years. When she returned to the states, she developed and implemented a summer enrichment camp for Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development for gifted children in the Chicagoland area. Most recently, she moved to the Valley (to enjoy some warmer winters) and continues to enjoy forming positive connections with her students and supporting their social-emotional growth. Amanda’s personal interests include baking, hiking, mindfulness, and collecting vintage vinyl records.
Kira, a native of Chicago, IL, holds an undergraduate degree in political science from Illinois State University and a master's degree in secondary education from Grand Canyon University. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctoral Degree in Education with a focus on Organizational Leadership. With 5 years of classroom teaching experience in ELA and Social Studies at the middle/high school level and over 10 years of experience tutoring various subjects including Reading, Writing, History, ACT/SAT, GRE, as well as career and study skills, Kira is a passionate educator focused on empowering students. Her dedication to working with children extends beyond the classroom, as she also serves as a professor at Justice College, where she imparts her knowledge in English and Writing Composition courses. Beyond her professional endeavors, Kira indulges in creative hobbies such as playing the sims, crafting decorative candles, and cherishing quality time with her family, reflecting her multifaceted and vibrant personality.
Jason has a BS and MS in physiological sciences from the University of Arizona, as well as a Diploma in medical science education from Northumbria University in England. In addition, he was granted scholarships to study oversees at St. George’s University to obtain his MD and MPH. Upon completion of his studies, Jason chose to forgo his internal medicine training to embrace routes in education and high-profile investments including stocks and real estate. He has taught at several Arizona colleges, including the University of Arizona, Arizona College of Nursing, and Glendale Community College. Jason also has a position at a notable Phoenix Investment firm.
Varun is a final-year medical student at Creighton Phoenix with a Bachelor’s degree in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University, currently applying to residency in internal medicine. With a robust academic background, including scoring in the 99th percentile on the SAT and completing 14 AP exams including Biology, Chemistry, and Calculus. Varun brings expertise in tutoring Algebra, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and test preparation. He has eight research publications in medicine and are the founder of the Helping Hands Initiative, a non-profit supporting underrepresented students in medicine. Outside of academics, Varun enjoys kayak fishing, hiking, live music, museums, and exploring local nightlife.
Anita has a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. She majored in mathematics and minored in Computer Science. She obtained her PhD in Applied Mathematics at Cornell University. Anita was a Vigre Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Mathematics Department at Cornell University for two years. She was an adjunct professor of Mathematics at Dickinson College for two years while she raised her youngest child. While at Dickinson College, she taught elementary statistics, discrete mathematics, differential equations, and a course in the calculus of variations. She is currently an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University and has been working at Penn State for almost 17 years. At Penn State, she has taught courses in college algebra, trigonometry, business calculus, calculus I, II and III, differential equations, foundations of geometry, the calculus of variations, real analysis, abstract algebra, dynamical systems, and partial differential equations and Fourier series, introductory linear algebra, and advanced linear algebra. Anita enjoys writing short stories, poetry and is currently writing a novel. She is also an origami artist.
Career Opportunities
If you have a master's degree, have teaching experience, and are interested in joining the top-notch educational staff here at Vogel Prep of Scottsdale, then visit our careers page for more details.
