The Impact of Teaching

From August 2022 to June 2024, I served as a Computer Science Tutor and Teaching Assistant at Pasadena City College. This experience profoundly shaped how I think about learning and problem-solving.

Supporting 300+ Students

Over two years, I helped more than 300 students navigate core Computer Science courses including:

• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Programming Fundamentals

My Teaching Philosophy

1. Foster Problem-Solving, Not Just Solutions

I never gave students the answer directly. Instead, I asked guiding questions:

• “What does this error message tell you?”
• “What’s happening in memory when you run this code?”
• “How would you break this problem into smaller pieces?“

2. One-on-One Mentoring

Every student learns differently. I conducted personalized mentoring sessions to:

• Identify individual learning gaps
• Build confidence through small wins
• Connect concepts to real-world applications

3. Collaborative Learning

I worked closely with instructors to:

• Design project-based learning experiences
• Create supplemental materials
• Develop debugging workshops

The Rewards

Seeing a student’s face light up when they finally understand recursion, or watching them confidently tackle algorithms they once found impossible—these moments make teaching incredibly rewarding.

Lessons Learned

Teaching made me a better engineer. Explaining concepts forced me to:

• Understand fundamentals more deeply
• Communicate technical ideas clearly
• Break down complex problems systematically
• Develop patience and empathy

Current Mentorship

Today, I continue learning from amazing mentors through Google’s Code2Career program, where I’m paired with a Google SWE. It’s a reminder that we’re all constantly learning and growing.

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The best way to learn is to teach. The best way to grow is to help others grow.