Meet the Tutors
Anne Friedli
Subject Areas: K-12 Math, Language Arts, and Social Studies; K-8 Science. ACT & SAT Test Prep
Anne is the founder of Outside the Box: Creative Tutoring. She majored in Elementary Education with double minors in Mathematics and Language Arts at Northern Michigan University. Anne is autistic, and after working in the classroom as a student teacher, she realized that it wasn’t her style to be tied to a traditional teaching setting. She wanted to reach students individually so she chose to work with students one-on-one outside of the classroom. This gave her the freedom to key in on each student’s interests. She prides herself on finding what it is that gets a student excited to learn.
Though her autism makes it difficult for her to socialize with other adults, it has proven to be her super power when it comes to working with and relating well with children and teens. She loves to laugh during sessions and will not hesitate to sing, dance, and be utterly ridiculous when honoring a student’s achievements. She often uses silly voices and accents to make boring topics enjoyable. Anne believes that a student that is laughing is making a strong connection to the material. She regularly makes jokes and tells offbeat stories to teach serious topics. Just don’t be surprised if you get a note sent home that says your child was giggling while taking a test.
Anne has always loved creative writing. As a child it was her goal to grow up and be a famous author. Her passions have shifted and she loves working with children now, but she did find time to write a children’s novel, Annie Bananie, and a young adult novel, Dancing in the Rain. Dancing in the Rain has been self-published through Schuler Books and is available on Amazon and through their website.
Anne’s family grew in 2022 as she and her husband adopted a ten year old girl. For as long as Anne can remember, she knew she wanted to adopt children instead of having her own. A quote that has inspired her comes from the movie Martian Child. “I don’t want to bring another kid into this world, but how do you argue against loving one that’s already here?” Though her husband, Adam, has since passed away from stomach cancer, Anne and her daughter are living life to the fullest, just like he wanted them to do.
Subject Areas: K-12 Language Arts and Drama; K-8 Math, Science, and Social Studies. ACT & SAT Test Prep
Sam is a self-employed Marketing Consultant, husband, and dad of four kids. He is also co-leader of the children’s ministry at Tribes Church in Rockford. He home schooled two of his children for three years and is very active in their homework and education. Sam is excited to tutor for Outside the Box: Creative Tutoring so he can help more students and expand their possibilities.
Sam’s passions are many, but acting and drama are probably his biggest. He majored in English and minored in Theatre at the University of Michigan, and has been doing something with acting when he can since graduating in 1992. Sam’s dream is to start a children’s theatre here in Grand Rapids and have drama programs and camps for kids who want to be the next Academy Award winners.
Subject Areas: Spanish (All Ages)
Mayela was born in Durango, Mexico, but was raised in the industrialized city of Monterrey, Mexico where she Graduated from the Monterrey Institute of Technology. She has BA in Accounting. She has worked in financial and accounting audits for KPMG and freelance work. She also is an English language instructor from the same institute in Monterrey. In 2010 she moved to McAllen, Texas and in 2015 moved to Grand Rapids as she and her family were uprooted due to her husband´s employment. Since then has moved on to teaching Spanish for Lingual Learners and is an ELL bilingual teacher’s assistant in the Sparta school district.
Mayela is the proud Mother of two beautiful girls, two yorkies and has been happily married for 20 years. She has found her passion in teaching Spanish to children and helping immigrant children to learn English. She is very empathetic, kind hearted and really cares about their development. Other than teaching the language, she enjoys exposing them to the vast and wonderful Spanish speaking cultures. Mayela enjoys reading and traveling abroad. During her 20 year marriage, she and her husband have visited Paris, London, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Monte Carlo and Italy. She loves to be in the company of her family and cannot wait for the moment to go visit her loved ones in Texas and Mexico.
Subject Areas: All Ages History, Literature, Spanish, Writing, and Reading. K-12 STEM Learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) - Virtual Lessons Only
Julian graduated from Florida International University with a degree in History and a Caribbean Studies certificate. From here, he is currently pursuing a master’s degree from Western Michigan University. As a historian, he was required to read many firsthand accounts as well as literature from different time periods. While reading, it became necessary for him to use critical thinking and writing skills to teach and learn more about history. As a native Spanish speaker, languages come naturally.
While obtaining his degrees in Florida, Julian was a teacher for an afterschool program called Bricks 4 Kidz. He taught kids to use their critical thinking skills to build models using Legos. With an emphasis on using one’s imagination and creative ideas, Julian encourages students how to think and learn in a fun learning environment.
Subject Areas: Spanish
Carmen was born in Mexico. She grew up in the state of Sonora. She has a BA in Accounting. In 2008 she got married and moved to Tucson, AZ. She was a volunteer in United Way-VITA during Tax season. She was a foster mother too. In 2015, she moved to Grand Rapids, MI due to her husband’s employment. She has worked teaching Spanish in Lingual Learners and volunteering with some families. She loves teaching Spanish and Hispanic Culture to children and adults. She also practices English with her nephews.
Carmen is very responsible, kind and reliable. She enjoys cooking, reading and traveling with her husband, extended family and friends.
ASL All Ages (Virtual Lessons Only)
Nadia has grown up with sign language as her first language. She is hard of hearing and wears two hearing aids. She has deaf parents that taught her sign language. She was involved with many of the different deaf clubs events. She also volunteered at Camp Chris William for the Deaf/Hard Of Hearing/Blind/Coda campers since 2016. She has worked with a variety of ages and disabilities. She was always inspired to help other people who are in need or interested in learning the language and culture.
Currently Nadia is a small deaf business owner. She makes her own art and crafts. She makes bath salts with herbs, candles, wire wrapping with crystals, wood crafts and paintings. During her free time Nadia enjoys traveling out of state and going on adventures with her friends. She loves being outdoors and spending time with her family and friends.
Subject Areas: K-College Math, Science, and Language Arts; Greek; ACT and SAT Test Prep (Virtual Lessons Only)
Evan is currently a Therapeutic Counselor. He graduated from Clark University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Physics. He continued his education in Europe and graduated from University of Nicosia in Cyprus. Cyprus is a beautiful island with a rich history, you should ask him about it. He enjoys helping people to improve the quality of their life and future. One of the best ways to ensure this is providing and guiding people with the necessary tools to succeed.
Evan is a citizen of planet Earth and loves to travel. He recently moved back to the USA from Europe and is getting situated for his twin daughters and wife to join him. Even though his daughters are 8-years-old they have learned to speak Greek during their time in Europe.
Subject Areas: ASL All Ages (Virtual Lessons Only)
Lacie was born and raised in Michigan by her deaf parents and had two C.O.D.A. siblings. She grew up in the mainstream schools and graduated from Model Secondary school for the Deaf in Washington D.C. She spent 6 years working with mental health in Florida. Lacie relocated to Austin, Texas, to serve for Texas School for the Deaf for 10 years as a residential educator. She is currently living in McAllen, Texas, to continue her entrepreneurship journey. Lacie enjoys traveling, camping, art crafts, and spending time with her family.
Ava is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Grand Valley State University, where she aspires to help those struggling with mental health. Now midway through her academic journey, Ava contributes a varied skill set and a deep enthusiasm for creativity and mentorship. Her academic pursuits include behavioral psychology and neuropsychology, complemented by a long-standing engagement with music and a deep interest in ethical studies. With a decade of trumpet performance experience and a deep passion for innovation, Ava blends artistic expression with intellectual curiosity.
Ava is passionate about teaching and aspires to make a meaningful impact by helping others while also having a good time. Her various interests extend beyond academia. She is an avid reader and writer of fiction, enjoys gardening and playing tennis, and finds joy in creative, hands-on pursuits like cooking, gardening, and visual arts. Known for her curiosity, creativity, and dedication, Ava continues to seek opportunities that blend her passion for teaching others with her love for artistic expression and interpersonal connection.
Subject Areas: PreK-8th Grade Math, Science; K-12th Grade Language Arts, Reading, Writing, French, Art, Music
Preschool-6th Math; K-8th Science; K-12 Language Arts, Social Studies; All Ages ESL
Sharon has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spring Arbor University. Her passion is helping others, so tutoring is fun for her! Sharon was a substitute teacher at her children’s elementary school for 13 years. Then, she spent 2 years as a Preschool Aide for 4-year-olds. While she was still a substitute teacher, she began working for VIPKID. This company trained her to make learning fun as she taught English as a second language to children online. Sharon has also tutored adults in ESL through Bethany Christian Services.
Sharon enjoys spending time with her family! Sharon, her husband, and two children have traveled from the New England States, to the Deep South, and as far West as South Dakota. As a family, they have had the many opportunities to learn about the different cultures that make-up the United States.
Subject Areas: 7-12 Math, Science (Physics, Chemistry, and Computer science), and Spanish
Aiden is a senior in high school that will be attending the University of Michigan to study physics in the fall of 2025. He has taken nearly all A.P science and math courses and scored a five. Currently, he is a software lead for his robotics team, Comets 3357. In addition, he participated in the Science Olympiad and medaled in various events. He has experience with tutoring through the NHS.
His favorite part of tutoring is being able to provide students with the intuition behind why what they are learning makes sense; he likes to focus more on understanding the underlying principle, than just solving the problem.
Aiden’s favorite time of the year is summer when he can play tennis, pickleball, and spikeball with my friends. He also enjoys playing games, whether it’s video games or board games.
Subject Areas: Music Theory and Piano Lessons All Ages, K-10 Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science
A single mother in her early thirties, Jessica hails from Rockford, Michigan. She has exhibited a lifelong academic bent and passion for learning. For Jessica, school was about academics, and making friends was just a bonus! She graduated high school with a 4.1GPA. Jessica earned a full-ride academic scholarship to Lee University in Tennessee. She ultimately ended up accepting the scholarship offered by Aquinas, and was invited to compete for additional scholarship money in Aquinas’s Leaders Scholarship program. While pursuing business management, Jessica jumped some steps and went straight to owning, operating, and managing her own LLC, “Melodies Music Studio” of Rockford, Michigan. Jessica managed all of her own marketing and advertisement, website design, independent contract employees, curriculum sales, instrumental rentals, and so on. However, her passion was in the teaching! She has taught piano and music theory for 16 years, specializing in children with special needs. After many years as a stay-at-home-mom, Jessica’s passion for academia was recently re-kindled when she began tutoring a sophomore student in Rockford High School’s virtual program.
As a mother of a multi-talented, intellectual fifth-grade daughter, Jessica has her hands full! Her daughter has grown into her favorite person to spend time with, and they have many shared interests and hobbies. There is one thing particularly that Jessica and her daughter have in common: their love for animals! Flora and fauna won Jessica’s heart from a young age, and she found herself involved in everything from rehabilitating orphaned wildlife to hiking, horseback riding to gardening. A four-year-old thoroughbred racehorse, nine-year-old bullmastiff, three cats, and Chilean Rosehair tarantula currently complete the family. Jessica spends a lot of her free time in the saddle, as her equestrian career is very important to her. She also enjoys reading, writing, crafting, eating sushi, listening to 90’s country, and binge-watching horror movies on Netflix.
Cadence is a senior in high school. She has completed mathematics courses through AP Calculus AB and is working toward a career in STEM. Mathematics has always been a source of joy and an important tool in her career as a student, and she believes that everyone should be allowed the opportunity to understand and utilize it.
She hopes to provide other students the opportunity to feel confident about and enjoy mathematics while dispelling any anxiety surrounding the subject using empathy and positive feedback. Cadence has a calming and patient presence, quick to lend encouragement and reassurance. Math is for everyone!
Cadence’s hobbies include esports, theater, and art. She loves animals, especially her cat, Penny!
Subject Areas: K-12 mathematics
Subject Areas: 6-12 Math (Including AP Courses), Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies, ACT and SAT Test Prep
Peter is currently teaching Algebra 2 and Pre-flight Math at West Michigan Aviation Academy. This school year is his second in Michigan, as he moved here to be with his wife Catherine in July 2021. Before moving to the Grand Rapids area, Peter taught math and special education in Antigo, Wisconsin and Loveland, Colorado. While Peter has specialized in mathematics throughout his career, he is a lifelong learner, and loves to immerse himself in the sciences and humanities, and has a passion for education and seeing his students grow. Peter’s values each student as an individual with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, and uses this perspective to get the best from his students every day.
When he is not teaching, Peter is a busy father to his 9 month old (as of December 2022) son, Ezra. Peter was formerly a competitive chess player and speed solver of several Rubik’s puzzles, and can still be found enjoying those passions on a less competitive level. He also loves to cook and hike often with his family and friends.
Subject Areas: 2-6 Math, Language Arts, and Social Studies.
Mike has lived his whole life in the Grand Rapids area. Mike is a currently a substitute and a Shipt Shopper. Mike has been subbing for over 10 years in schools around the Grand Rapids area. Mike is certified in grades K – 8. Mike has a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Phoenix and a Master’s in education from Central Michigan University. Mike’s favorite subject is History. Mike says that tutoring is a way to help children on a 1 to 1 basis so they can be successful later in life.
Mike enjoys playing board games, card games, and video games. Mike also loves to travel and explore and hopes to do as much as he can in the future. Mike plans to go to the Kentucky Derby next year and New Orleans in 2025. Mike also stays active by playing basketball and softball. Mike also likes going to museums, the beach, sporting events, and music festivals. Mike says that variety is the spice of life.
Subject Areas: French (all levels), K-8 Math, Science, and Language Arts
Christina has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin University where she studied French and Public Health with a minor in Biology. After graduating in 2022, she moved to France for two years where she worked as an English Language Assistant. Christina greatly enjoyed working with children of all ages and teaching them about the US and the English language. She would love to now share her knowledge of the French language and culture with anyone curious to learn about it! Christina worked with children ages 2 to 12 in France, but also has prior experience tutoring middle schoolers in the TEAM 21 program at Wyoming Junior High School as well as college students at Calvin.
Christina enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures and has been not only to France, but also to Spain, Morocco, Hungary, and Egypt, among many other countries. She loves all things nutrition and holistic health and spends her free time cooking, working out, and learning about food and using food as medicine. Bienvenue!
Melanie is a recent high-school graduate with a few college classes under her belt. She was homeschooled for all of her education up until she began college classes. She loved all subjects, excelling particularly in English and art. She is a people person who loves interacting with others.
Melanie tends to do art in all forms during her freetime. Whether that’s sketching, painting, drawing, or making 3D characters, she’s always working on a project. She’s a big bookworm and writes short stories and poetry.
Subject Areas: PreK-5 Language Arts and Math;
Art all ages
Andrew is an undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, with a planned minor in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture. Throughout his experience with education, he has always been a high-achieving student who loves to help others. Because of his passion for STEM, he values helping students develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Overall, he’s committed to making sure that all students have an opportunity to learn in a way that caters to their personal needs and learning habits.
Andrew enjoys creative hobbies such as crochet, origami, and 3D printing. He also loves to bake, and is a dog lover with two goldendoodles. He wants to visit as many places around the world as possible, and so far has visited Iceland, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru! He’s a pretty big nerd and encourages others to embrace being nerdy if it brings them joy!
Subject Areas: K-12 History/Social Studies and Sciences, 9-12 Math, Spanish, SAT Test Prep
Subjects: 3rd-8th grade Math and Language Arts
Emma was homeschooled all the way up through high school until she graduated in 2022. Since then, she has acquired about 2.5 years of experience in her current occupation, daycare. Her love of being with kids, however, really started with being a big sister – and it hasn’t stopped since. Her love of learning also started young, and in high school she was able to use that to help her siblings with math when they got stuck. As for her, drawing cartoons and making up tunes, raps, and puns were all things she did in high school to help her learning stick!
Growing up, she lived close to the library and would make frequent bike trips in the summer with her backpack, which was usually full of chapter books, peanuts comic books, and often whatever science subject or skill she was interested in at the time. Math was her favorite subject and she still enjoys it, especially when it means she gets to do her favorite hobby – bake! Emma is excited to help others discover new things about our amazing world and have fun in the process.
Subject Areas: K-8 Math, K-3 Reading, K-8 Science
Erika taught Math and Science for 10 years at elementary school level in Phoenix, Arizona. She currently works as a barista and supervisor at a local coffee shop, where she gets to be creative while making drinks. However she is excited to work with students again! She loves helping children understand something they have been struggling with for a while.
Erika loves everything outdoors—hiking, camping, hammocking, exploring new places, etc. If she’s not spending time outside she also enjoys various craft projects. She enjoys spending time with friends and family. She moved back to Michigan to be able to spend more time with her nieces and nephews. Additionally, at the end of the day, she loves to cuddle with her cat, Morris.
Subjects: PreK-6 Math and Language Arts, D&D Dungeon Master, IT, E-sports leader
William has IT certifications in A+, Net+, and Security+. He has always been deeply motivated to helping the younger generations grow. He has volunteered at his church’s childcare center and has done babysitting since he was 16. He has been a team lead for E-sports through Godfrey-Lee high school where they played League of Legends, Overwatch, team building games, etc. He is currently taking classes at GRCC for his Mechanical Design certification. He also runs a D&D club for homeschool students.
Will enjoys playing different party games with friends and family, mainly video and computer games. Through the clubs he runs in E-sports and D&D, he’s become well versed in improvisation. He loves working with children and helping them find joy in teamwork and learning.
Subject Areas: PreK-5 Language Arts and Math
Cindy is a Grand Rapids native whose educational background includes a B.A. in Geography from Aquinas College and a B.S. in Land Surveying Engineering from Ferris State. She works part time as a land surveyor and takes photos for a local auction site. Cindy is a wife and mother of two. Her hobbies include traveling, arts & crafts, geocaching, collecting and doing jigsaw puzzles. She has participated locally and even travels out of state to compete in speed puzzle competitions.
Connor is a Junior at Rockford High School. He excelled at every math offered at the high school level and plans on doing calculus based finance in college. He also took AP Physics his sophomore year and received a 4 on his AP test, one of the youngest to do it at Rockford. He is currently dually-enrolled with Ferris State University, working towards his minor in Spanish.
In his free time, Connor enjoys watching football and basketball with his family. He also competes on the Varsity teams for football and track and field, and he plans to continue high jumping in college. Connor also enjoys wake surfing and jet skiing with his friends in the summer, which is his favorite time of the year. Other than sports, he enjoys playing the piano and playing on his Xbox with his friends.
Subject Areas: 9-12 Math and Spanish
