Robert Donahue (he/him) is a La Salle College High School and University of Notre Dame graduate and a former US Navy officer. Robert has more than eighteen years of tutoring experience, with a primary focus on the ACT and the SAT. He also tutors the GRE and GMAT, as well as the private high school entrance exams. Robert has tutored for RTC since 2018.
Robert has worked with hundreds of students over the years, including numerous students being recruited by colleges for athletics, music, art, and academics, and his experience as a tutor and his interests in sports, music, movies, and cooking allow him to quickly establish a good working relationship with his students. Robert conducts engaging, dynamic lessons and guides his students to expand their toolkit and improve their reasoning, which leads to improved scores. He emphasizes an inputs-outputs-outcomes approach to test preparation, and impresses upon his students that if they improve their inputs (their efforts to master the material presented in lessons), then in turn their outputs (more questions correct) and their outcomes (an increased score that fits their admissions portfolio) will improve: “If you go about things the right way, you’re more likely to get the results you want.”
Jacob Ginsberg (he/him) has been tutoring informally since he was young; he began tutoring professionally eight years ago. Jacob has tutored for RTC since 2017. Since earning a degree in English from Brown University, he has helped students across the country reach their goals on ACT and SAT. Jacob teaches Socratically and creates individual plans of action in dialogue with his students, inviting them to take control of their own learning. Jacob believes students should capitalize on their strengths while working to improve in the areas where they need his assistance.
Jacob is incredibly talented at teaching the whys behind concepts that can be tricky for students to understand. As a test prep tutor, he helps students find their unique ways to beat the test. You won’t find anyone more excited about standardized tests! Jacob loves working with students at all levels and starting scores, from helping students build confidence and master the fundamentals to helping make the final push toward a perfect score.
Jacob has an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University. In his free time, he writes fiction, reads for a literary magazine, cheers (and boos) at Flyers games, and walks his dog Isabel.
Erin Gleeson (she/her) has over seven years’ tutoring experience and currently teaches high school Algebra in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She has a Bachelor’s in Geosciences from the University of Arizona and a Masters in Climate Sciences from the University of Bern in Switzerland. Erin has worked at the intersection of science and practice for over a decade. She has partnered with Nepali farmers, Peruvian herders, and diverse communities throughout the U.S. to build climate resilience through partnerships that integrate nature conservation with economic opportunities and social cohesion. Most recently, she worked to connect landowners throughout the Central Appalachians with the carbon market through sustainable forest management.
Because she understands the importance of critical thinking in solving our socio-environmental challenges, Erin enjoys helping students develop their college-readiness skills in areas as diverse as SAT/ACT, Algebra and Geometry, and AP Biology. Erin’s approach to teaching is strongly grounded in logic, evidence, and real-world examples. Erin loves how trivia about the natural world can unlock the secrets of math and science for her students. For example, she will teach students that bees use hexagons to make their honeycomb, because it’s the strongest and most efficient shape in nature. How cool!
As a high school sophomore, Erin took the PSAT without understanding what it was. She achieved exceptional scores in part because of mindful test-taking: she was relaxed, curious, and happy to have a break from her normal classes. Erin was highly successful in SAT and ACT, and she attributes her success to that relaxed, curious attitude and the comfort and confidence that come from understanding the tests well. Erin encourages students to see the tests as games that they can learn to master. She loves helping students see how they can draw on their existing skills and knowledge to become confident, expert test-takers at their personal level of achievement.
Erin’s mindfulness practice is rooted in being active and aware outdoors. In her free time, she works on restoring the natural habitats of her northern Virginia home, plies her mostly green thumb in the garden, and cycles and hikes extensively. Erin is also a beekeeper: she maintains hives both at her home and at the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Bryce Raley (he/him) has provided the skills, behaviors, and strategies to help students of all ages improve their academic and personal confidence as a professional academic coach for the past six years. He strives to be passionate, patient, and empathetic toward all his students. He has helped hundreds of different students increase their test scores hundreds of points and excel in their academic programs.
Bryce graduated one year early from the University of Miami double majoring in Environmental Science and Economics. He is passionate about teaching students math, science, analytical writing, and evidence based reading. He has experience in and enjoys teaching all ages of students, from elementary to college level. His expertise lies in standardized test prep (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, etc.), college level courses/APs, Algebra, Geometry, Biology, and more. As a graduate from the University of Miami (UM) in the field of Environmental Science, he also mentors classes of students at UM in applications of environmental sustainability.
Coaching other students became Bryce’s passion while he was in college, and this is where he started his journey as an academic coach. He realized early on that students need someone who is more than just a tutor or an expert in their field. They need a friend, mentor, and teacher who understands what they are feeling. They need a coach who tailors their learning style to fit each student. His passion is to ignite the strength that every student has within them. He believes that each student has their own academic talents that are revealed when provided the right environment and coach. In his free time, Bryce enjoys surfing, skateboarding, writing music, and playing guitar.
Emmaline Smith (she/her) first started tutoring informally in high school and became enamored with tutoring when she started teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to elementary school students. She continued tutoring in college and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan with a degree in User Experience Research and Design.
Before coming to RTC, Emmaline worked as a Webflow Developer at Idea Lab and tutored Spanish independently. In addition, Emmaline has worked for companies based in Argentina and Mexico. These experiences have taught her how to better serve students coming from diverse backgrounds.
Emmaline transitioned to tutoring full-time because she found herself so invested in her students’ progress. She is passionate about tutoring because it allows her to connect with students, help them achieve their goals, and have fun learning in the process. She loves tutoring SAT and ACT because she loves helping students find ways to beat the test and gain more confidence in test-taking. Emmaline knows that through SAT and ACT tutoring she can not only help prepare her students for the test, but also for college.
Emmaline enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hiking and playing tennis. She has lived in Colombia and Spain, and her personal goal is to visit every Spanish speaking country. She is currently based in Mexico City, where she is learning salsa dancing and volunteering at a biosocial lab in her free time.
Duaa Ahmed (she/her) is a veterinary student at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her BA at Boston University with a major in Cell and Molecular Biology & Genetics, and has been involved in multiple research projects ranging from microbiology to evolutionary mechanisms of social structure. Before coming to RTC, Duaa worked at the UPenn Weingarten Learning Center as a peer note taker, attending lectures and customizing tools to help special-needs students learn at their best capacity. As a gifted teacher, she tailors her tutoring similarly.
Duaa finds it extremely fulfilling to work with students of all ages and backgrounds, and she especially enjoys teaching SAT and ACT. Having taken many standardized tests and navigated the gauntlet of college admissions, Duaa understands the stress that students experience; she is dedicated to help her students succeed.
Duaa caters her teaching style to the learning needs of each student. She likes to start with a lot of structure, and then slowly encourage independence in her students as their confidence grows in learning test content and design.
In her free time, Duaa likes to hike, watch TV, try new restaurants, and travel. Some of her favorite adventures were in Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and Dubai. When traveling, Duaa loves to explore the local food and wildlife.
Julia Adams (she/her) has been tutoring informally since she was in high school. She graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with minors in Mathematics and Education. Throughout her undergraduate career, Julia volunteered tutoring mathematics at a teen center, where she guided students in everything from fractions to calculus. Each lightbulb moment, that “a-ha!” that indicates a student has connected the dots, is what continues to inspire Julia; she has continued to gain a deeper appreciation for tutoring in her five years working 1-2-1 with students. She was excited to join RTC after her graduation in 2022.
Julia knows RTC’s teaching philosophy better than most: she was one of Miss Claire’s students, and she herself learned to beat the ACT on her journey to college. Her ACT achievement helped her earn her sizable merit aid at W&J. Julia brings this test-taker’s expertise and empathy to her work as an RTC tutor. She’s our first alumna test prep tutor, and she’s our secret weapon!
Julia is passionate about teaching because she is passionate about learning. Every student brings new opportunities for Julia to learn along with them. Julia believes in Socratic teaching and understands that if a student can work through problems cooperatively with their tutor and explain how they did it, they build both their skills and confidence.
Julia has so much fun teaching test prep because of the easily recognizable patterns in the SAT and ACT. Students do not necessarily have to be a master of all subjects to master a standardized test, and Julia loves teaching them how smart they can be as they unlock the secrets of the test together!
In her free time, Julia is an active artist and spends her free time painting, drawing, cooking, and spending time outdoors around her home in Pittsburgh, PA. Julia is a strong advocate for having a creative outlet to relieve stress in difficult situations and uses her creativity as a form of mindfulness.
Ashwin Ugale (he/him) works as a full-time virtual tutor in Chicago, Illinois. After attending the Illinois Math and Science Academy and obtaining a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Ashwin entered into the workforce in the startup world. He performed various IT and Developer roles at a few companies, the last of which was an online tutoring startup. One day, he was asked to fill in for a missing tutor, and he instantly connected with the work. Ashwin recognized not only that he had a unique gift for teaching and a love for 1-2-1 tutoring, but also that he could have a profound and positive impact upon his students’ lives. He became a full-time, private tutor in 2013, and has tutored for RTC since 2021.
This unique background has led Ashwin to develop a straightforward tutoring style grounded in self-learning. Ashwin understands that both teenage SAT/ACT students and adult GRE/GMAT students who can build confidence in their ability to learn will not only respond better to outside tutoring, but will spend more time doing it themselves. This approach has been very successful in test prep — many students just need a small push in the right direction to achieve their academic goals. Ashwin believes that building a personal connection with his students is paramount, as it encourages more dialogue and engagement — all part of the reason why he enjoys 1-2-1 tutoring so much.
In his free time, Ashwin enjoys hobbies such as tennis, soccer, chess, and tabletop games like Azul and Wingspan. When traveling is safe enough, you may also find him in a tropical destination in the colder months of the year.