Dimitra L.

Originally from the suburbs of Southeast Los Angeles, I began my undergraduate degree at UC Davis as an English major with the vague idea of wanting to work with literature. I took my first creative writing course in my third year—for no real reason—and found that putting words together in a certain way made my world a little clearer. During my final year at UC Davis, I became a writing tutor and helped students of all backgrounds further their understanding of the writing process while navigating college-level academic material. Currently, I’m a candidate for a Masters in Creative Writing at Columbia University. Outside of tutoring I like to read, swim, and bake while pretending I’m on The Great British Bake-Off.

For the past three years, I’ve worked as an English, SAT/ACT, college admissions essay, math, and ISEE/SSAT/entrance exam tutor and facilitator for high school, middle school, and elementary age students. My approach to teaching writing has carried over to other subjects, such as test prep and math, as I cater each session to the student’s individual needs and approach each problem as a code to be cracked. Seeing students gain confidence in themselves as readers, writers, test-takers, mathematicians, and thinkers is what brought me to LA Tutors.

Writing can be a daunting process, especially if a student has decided or been told that they’re a “bad writer,” (which no one really is). I like to break down the writing process into tangible parts and explore the value of communicating and developing ideas in writing. At the same time, I hope to bring joy to the process while encouraging students to take risks and challenge themselves.