Our Mission - Personalized Educational Strategy and Plan
Our mission is to meet students where they are and help them rise — academically, personally, and strategically — from foundational learning through college readiness. Through personalized instruction, meaningful enrichment, and thoughtful mentorship, we help students build the confidence, capability, and direction they need for the next stage of their journey.
Meet the Team
Our dedicated educators and leadership team are committed to providing the academic excellence and personal growth that every student deserves. Discover the expertise and passion behind Elevate Education.
Joseph Kim is a science, English, and math tutor at Genius Academy. He graduated from California Baptist University with a degree in Biology and a Master’s in Education, giving him a strong foundation in both subject knowledge and teaching practice. Joseph is currently a middle school science teacher in San Jose and brings real classroom experience to his work with students. He believes knowledge is one of the most powerful tools a student can develop and wants to help younger learners use education to reach their goals. Joseph is especially passionate about STEM and helping students understand the world around them.
Jennifer Lee, Ed. M
CEO/Founder, Education Consultant
Jennifer Lee, Founder and Principal of Elevate Education, is a dedicated educator and mentor with more than 20 years of classroom experience. She holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with degrees in psychology and human development. Drawing on her extensive background in English education and college preparation counseling, Jennifer brings a research-informed and deeply personal approach to teaching and mentorship.Jennifer believes that meaningful education extends far beyond academic achievement and test scores. She combines high academic standards with engaging, purposeful programming that encourages students to discover their interests in authentic and organic ways. Her approach emphasizes critical thinking, leadership, executive functioning, and essential life skills, helping teens develop the tools they need to navigate both school and life with greater independence and confidence.At the heart of Jennifer’s work is a commitment to helping young people become the best versions of themselves. Through Elevate Education and her various initiatives, she strives to nurture students who are not only academically prepared, but also confident, curious, capable, and ready to take ownership of their futures.
Sarah Jensen
Counselor, Essay Writing Coach, Tutor
Sarah Jensen joined Elevate in 2021 and supports high school students in Chemistry, Math, Physics, English, college essays, and academic counseling. A UCLA graduate with a B.A. in English, Sarah also brings a background in Chemical Engineering that helps her guide students through advanced STEM coursework. In college essay work, she focuses on helping students express their individual voices and experiences with clarity and authenticity. Her creative writing background also informs her approach to narrative and analytical writing. Sarah’s literary interests include modern Asian American writing, author-narrator relationships, mythology, and queer coming-of-age fiction.
Laurie Lande
Counselor, Essay Writing Coach
Laurie Lande brings a strong background in writing, editing, and college counseling to Elevate. She developed her communication skills over a decade as a journalist with The Wall Street Journal in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as with Bloomberg News. Her experience in interviewing, collaborative writing, and editing helps students navigate the college application process with clarity and confidence. Laurie earned her Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA Extension in 2020 and stays current by attending annual UC and WACAC counselor conferences, while visiting at least 10 new college campuses each year.
Riya Shrivastava
Project manager, SAT/ACT Tutor
Riya joined Elevate in 2025 as a Project Manager and SAT/ACT Tutor, bringing a passion for personalized guidance and a strong track record of helping students improve test scores and build confidence in the college application process. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Human-Computer Interaction, and has professional experience in marketing and project management. At Elevate, Riya specializes in one-on-one SAT tutoring and helps students brainstorm, develop, and launch meaningful personal projects that strengthen their applications through both authenticity and strategy.
Erik Wang
Tutor
Erik Wang is a current undergraduate at UCLA studying Political Science and Psychology. He primarily works to tutor history and English, and he enjoys helping students gain stronger writing skills and build critical thinking. Erik is very passionate about watching students grow academically and develop confidence in their educational abilities. Outside of tutoring, Erik loves playing basketball, listening to music, and eating different cuisines.
Eddy Eskandari
Tutor
Eddy Eskandari is an experienced Physics and Calculus educator with over 40 years of teaching experience in the U.S. and internationally. He specializes in AP Physics, AP Calculus AB/BC, Pre-Calculus, Algebra, and Geometry, working with students from middle school through college. Eddy is passionate about making advanced STEM concepts clear, logical, and engaging while helping students build problem-solving skills, confidence, and exam readiness. He currently teaches mathematics at Stratford Preparatory School, teaches summer mathematics at The Harker School, and tutors students in AP Physics and advanced math. Eddy holds a B.S. in Physics and is a published author in physics education.
Joseph Kim
Teacher
Tiffany Shi
Teacher
Tiffany Shi teaches Math at Genius Academy and graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in Statistics and Data Science. She brings a strong academic foundation and a clear passion for helping students build confidence in math. With three years of teaching experience across elementary, middle school, and college students, Tiffany understands the importance of developing strong fundamentals early. Her teaching emphasizes curiosity, critical thinking, and flexible problem-solving. She encourages students to explore multiple approaches so they can master not just one problem, but entire types of problems. Tiffany hopes to help students discover the joy of learning and become self-motivated scholars.
Jennifer Lee, Ed. M
Nilisha Roy
Madhumanti Palit
Christine Lee
Founder / Principal
Head of Mathematics
Head on English Language Arts
Head of Chinese Language Arts
Jennifer Lee, Founder and Principal of Elevate Education, is a dedicated educator and mentor with more than 20 years of classroom experience. She holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with degrees in psychology and human development. Drawing on her extensive background in English education and college preparation counseling, Jennifer brings a research-informed and deeply personal approach to teaching and mentorship.
Jennifer believes that meaningful education extends far beyond academic achievement and test scores. She combines high academic standards with engaging, purposeful programming that encourages students to discover their interests in authentic and organic ways. Her approach emphasizes critical thinking, leadership, executive functioning, and essential life skills, helping teens develop the tools they need to navigate both school and life with greater independence and confidence.
At the heart of Jennifer’s work is a commitment to helping young people become the best versions of themselves. Through Elevate Education and her various initiatives, she strives to nurture students who are not only academically prepared, but also confident, curious, capable, and ready to take ownership of their futures.
Nilisha brings a strong record of academic, professional, and teaching experience to her work with students. Raised in India, she has a Bachelors in Business, is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from the University of California, Davis. She taught Business Mathematics, Accounting, and Taxation at a leading university before moving to the U.S. for graduate studies.
Nilisha also spent about 15 years in corporate leadership, managing legal and compliance operations, systems implementation, process improvement, and organizational scaling. Her professional work included developing software connected to financial intelligence and enforcement initiatives for the U.S. Treasury Department.
Her teaching now focuses on building strong foundations in Mathematics and Reading through structured practice, classical pedagogy, and individualized support. She has completed many courses at Stanford for teaching math, language arts, early literacy, and neurodiverse learning, and supports students in math competitions, HSPT, CogAT, ACT, and SAT preparation.
Madhumanti Palit, known to students as Ms. Madhu, teaches Reading for grades 2–5 at Genius Academy. She earned her Master’s degree in History in India and brings a deep appreciation for learning, language, and social science to her classroom. After years of supporting her own daughter’s English and social science education through elementary and middle school, she was inspired to share her love of teaching with more students. Madhumanti especially enjoys working with young learners, guiding them with patience, encouragement, and care. For her, the greatest reward is seeing students grow academically and succeed with confidence
自小,家裡的教導就是要以誠心(待)人,很幸運的,我的第一份工作在建築師事務所,也碰到一位非常好的建築師,她教導我以心(帶)人,後來到了美國參與教育界職場,深深地受到校長(俞老師)如同家人般的帶領與相處,這所有的一切我感受到如何用心 與學生一起相處並教育他們。我在2012年踏入教育界,成為一位老師時,與其說我班上的學生時,我更愛稱呼他們為(孩子們)! 在我的內心世界裡,我感同他們像我孩子一樣,一起渡過下午的每分每秒的時光。我秉持的教育觀點是在中文課程中, 循序漸進一點一滴讓孩子在求學過程裡,接受正向品格引導與塑造他們不怕難的心,並適時的鼓勵與稱讚,來幫助孩子學習過程中的低谷時期,並不斷持續省察孩子學習過程中,喜怒哀樂情緒上所需的支持與愛的關懷,進而以適合孩子本身學習方式,來添加孩子獨特所需的進深課程內容。平常我很喜歡閱讀有關孩童心理教育與輔導書籍,對自己的期許是,幫助孩子在品德上獲得眾人肯定,來邁向人生求學時期。
Laurie Bierman
K–3 English Language Arts Teacher
Laurie Bierman brings 32 years of public-school teaching experience working with K–3 students. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential from California State University, Fresno.
Laurie teaches academic skills aligned with California Common Core Standards while helping students build confidence and strong learning habits. Her approach centers on creating a safe, supportive classroom where each child feels valued and comfortable participating.
She also believes strong parent-teacher communication is essential to student success.
Outside the classroom, Laurie enjoys hiking, music, cooking, learning new things, and spending time with her family and dog.
Esther Andrews
Math Teacher
My name is Esther Andrews. I love children, and my students know it. In my teaching I strive to transfer my love of math to the students. I want them to see and appreciate the beauty of math, the logic, and the combination of the two. My classroom is always full of young minds being challenged while having fun and enthusiasm. We learn how to think "outside the box" and explore new concepts. I have a background in math and engineering, and bring with me experience as the author of the book titled "How to Develop Your Child's Intelligence", and a newsletter with over 40,000 subscribers.
Sarah Biklen
English Language Arts Teacher
Sarah Biklen brings 6+ years of experience teaching K–12 students in English, literacy, math, and reading comprehension. She studied Communication with a minor in English at UC Davis.
Sarah has taught one-on-one and small-group classes aligned with Common Core Standards, supporting students with diverse learning needs, including English-language learners and neurodivergent students.
Her teaching approach focuses on understanding each student’s strengths, challenges, and learning style while building confidence in a supportive classroom environment.
Outside the classroom, Sarah enjoys writing, playing guitar, live performances, and exploring the outdoors.
Julia Wei
Chinese Language Teacher
我是Julia Wei在小天才學習中心任教已邁入第十六年了。在這裡有很棒的師資和學習環境。老師、同學和家長都有很好的互動。成為一位教師一直是我的一個志向，也是我的熱情所在。很幸運地，在大三那年有機會接受教職的培訓，並在許多教育機構 ----- 芝麻街 (SesameStreet)、吉的堡 (Kid's Castle)、師大補習班和多所幼兒園擔任教職。來美後也分別在小天才和日新中文學校教授中文和其它科目。同時在這其間也獲得學校頒發「優良教師」的殊榮和肯定。
從事教育，我一直秉持著愛、包容、接納和耐心來帶學生。同時我認為一個老師除了教學技巧要好，還要能給予學生信心與鼓勵。有時候一個小小的鼓勵能帶給孩子一股動力。我也很注重道德教育。我的教學目標是培養孩子有獨立思考的能力，能判斷是非，有正確的價值觀，以及激發學生對中文的興趣，並在愉快的氣氛下給予學生在學習中文上實質的幫助。
Kevin Chen
Math and Science Teacher
Kevin Chen teaches Innovation Lab, Math, and Public Speaking at Genius Academy. He is currently studying Earth Science at San Jose State University and brings a strong interest in science, learning, and student growth to his classroom. Kevin first discovered his passion for teaching in college, where he formed study groups and tutored classmates in biology. Seeing others improve through his support inspired him to continue teaching. His academic interests include climate change, environmental awareness, and preparing students to think critically about the future. Kevin hopes to help students strengthen their academic skills, expand their knowledge, and become thoughtful, observant learners.