Alexa Y

ALexa y

I was born and raised in Northern Colorado, moving to Arizona to attend Grand Canyon University, where I graduated from in 2021 with a degree in English for Secondary Education and Structured English Immersion. Since graduating, I have spent my career in a wide variety of educational settings, along with teaching a range of different subjects. Whether I am teaching at public school, private school, or homeschool cohorts, one thing remains the most true: I feel incredibly passionate about meeting students where they are at academically, and coming up with a plan for their success that suits their unique needs and interests. Working one-on-one with students in a tutoring setting has been one of my favorite parts of this career, as I love to support students in areas that they may feel stuck, or help encourage mastery in areas they really thrive. 

Although my degree is in English, I have spent an equal amount of my career teaching and tutoring in math and history. Reading, writing, and grammar have always come easily to me, but I truly did not enjoy math or history until I had the opportunity to teach it myself! This ignited my passion to find new ways to teach content and make my lessons engaging and impactful for all students. I have learned that one may think they do not enjoy a subject, until they have the opportunity to see it through a different lens.

One of my favorite quotes as an educator is: “Students may not care how much you know, until they know how much you care” -Rita Pierson. I love to create relationships with students and families to ensure they know I truly care about their education. I am excited to be a part of the Focus Tutors team and to support students of all academic needs and abilities!

---

Paige W

Paige W

I teach to empower.  Studying International Development at Tulane University, I learned that education is the cornerstone of all progress—healthcare, civil rights, environmentalism, and the like advance hand-in-hand with knowledgeability of the populace.  For that reason, I decided to go into education.  Well, that and the fact that kids are hilarious; high impact plus good company makes for an easy career choice!  In addition to International Development, I studied Spanish and Psychology at Tulane.  Upon earning my Bachelor of the Arts degree in 2012, I moved right out to Arizona.  Two years later, I graduated from Arizona State University with a Master of Education degree.  Since that time, I’ve enjoyed teaching special education in the valley with students in grades K-8.  I’m thrilled to be part of the Focus Tutors team, and I look forward to sharing my passion and expertise in: organization and time management, study strategies, ADD/ADHD coaching, executive functioning support, test-taking skills, Spanish, and elementary & middle school mathematics, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar.

 

 

---

Danica K

Danica K

Growing up in Phoenix, school was a place where learning, imagination and the world all collided. I became a teacher because I wanted children to love learning just as I did. However, it took me a while to come to that conclusion. I love people, believe there is always hope and I think life should be enjoyed! I come from a family of educators and am a third-generation teacher. Growing up I often helped tutor and loved teaching others (whether that was academics, dance, the correct way to type, etc.). I came into college with extra credits, so I had the freedom to explore many degree programs. I graduated from the University of Arizona with a Sociology major and minors in Family Studies and Human Development, along with an Education minor. After working in a school in South Central Los Angeles, providing targeted interventions to lessen the achievement gap, I returned to Phoenix and worked in foster care, church work and eventually jumped back into the classroom and taught 6th grade, Elementary Resource and ended in High School Special Education. I am passionate about all students enjoying learning and reaching their goals. I went on to get my Master’s in Special Education because of my deep conviction to be able to reach all learners. I currently serve as the Children’s Director at a local church and love being able to serve families and provide optimal learning experiences each week. I am looking forward to sharing my love of learning and my deep conviction that all students are capable of great things. At Focus Tutors, I work with students in the following areas: organization and time management, reading/math intervention, executive functioning, test preparation, reading and writing support, as well as general homework support.

---