Hi! My name is Derrick, and I am a Mechanical Engineering PhD student at Princeton University. I did my undergrad at Duke University, where I graduated with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and got minors in Math and Physics. Throughout my time at Duke, I was very involved in teaching. First, I tutored undergraduate students in several math and physics courses and was a TA for a Linear Algebra course. Next, I took courses in educational psychology to learn how to become a better teacher. Lastly, I tutored elementary school students in math as part of a service-learning program.
Despite all the tutoring I did at Duke, my passion for tutoring began elsewhere. I am the second oldest in a family of nine, and my tutoring experience started with me tutoring my younger siblings while I was only in middle school. Seeing my siblings’ confusion in school turn into deep subject knowledge and understanding brought me so much joy as a tutor and made me realize the type of impact I could make on a student. That is the reason I am still tutoring to this day. I am comfortable tutoring a wide range of subjects and students since I have been tutoring for many years; however, I excel at tutoring high school students in math and physics.
Outside of tutoring, I have many hobbies and interests. To name a few, I enjoy rock climbing, weightlifting, calisthenics, martial arts, tennis, basketball, piano, cliff jumping, and solving Rubik’s cubes. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have—I am always eager to help!