Who We Are
The relationship between a dedicated tutor and student is unlike any relationship that students have. Tutors are not parents, siblings, or best friends - all relationships that come with their own agendas. Our tutors are mentors: they are not only brilliant and able to teach at the highest academic level but are also kind, engaging, encouraging, fun and trustworthy as confidants and counselors.
At Aspire, we care about our clients deeply and personally -- it's not just about formulaic test prep or academic instruction. That example of care and compassion encourages students to want more for and from themselves, to reach higher, and to aspire to greater heights as academics and humans.
Throughout this year of hurricanes, wildfires, dramatic civil unrest, and a global pandemic, Aspire's tutors have remained grounded in kindness and understanding, providing not only academic support through painful online learning doldrums, but also emotional space to explore how these global changes have affected everyone holistically.
Aspire tutors have no judgement or agenda. They are mentors and, often, unlikely best friends to their students through all of life's curveballs.
The Aspire Prep Story
Kate began her career in teaching in high school as a peer volunteer for the Eagle Hill School, a private college preparatory school for learning differences and disabilities. She continued tutoring at local schools in New Jersey while attending Princeton University, focusing her tutoring on STEM subjects as she pursued her B.A. premed.
In 2000, Kate moved to Los Angeles and worked for Electronic Arts in gaming prior to completing her Post Bac at USC's Keck School. While there, she tutored premed students, growing her company on campus and beyond. Over these last two decades, Kate has steered and mentored hundreds of families in courses ranging from college-level STEM and premed subjects to SAT, ACT, ISEE, MCAT, and GRE test preparation. Kate also takes on a very limited list of clients for college counseling as they navigate the admissions process.
Kate's focus is now on supporting her wonderful team, acting as a role model to both tutors and students as she underscores the importance of character and humanity in the world of education.
Our Team
Our team understands the discipline, focus and passion required to achieve the goal of admission to a highly competitive University, having each
graduated from prestigious and Ivy League schools.
We are a family and hope to bring that sense of closeness to yours.
Aspire Prep Founder and President, Kate Tamalonis, selects our team members based on academic achievement, teaching expertise and integrity.
Matt Marder
Princeton, B.A. English (Film Studies/Creative Writing), Minor: Classics
c/o 2013
Subjects covered:
ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ISEE, HSPT, Calculus, Any math in high school, essay writing, creative writing, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, History
Matthew "Matt" Marder is a mentor, tutor, writer, and movie director in Los Angeles, California. Originally from rural Pennsylvania, Matt moved to Philadelphia when he was 12. He graduated from Princeton University in 2013 where he majored in English/ Film and minored in Classics (Latin/ Greek) and Ancient History. He attended the American Film Institute where he earned an MFA in Screenwriting. Matt now tutors frequently in all topics ranging from Calculus to History.
In his spare time, Matt enjoys most sports, puzzles, hiking, chess, and attending fun virtual reality/live events. Matt is an avid reader and is sad it's disappearing from modern culture. Matt believes in universal potential and knows that every student is capable of achieving success.
Shannon Clair
Princeton, B.A. English, c/o 2009
Subjects Covered: English, History, Humanities, Writing, Personal Statements, ACT.
Shannon Clair likes balancing organization and adventure. She splits her free time between outdoorsy, artsy, and esoteric pursuits.
Shannon majored in English, with a Certificate in Theater and Dance, from Princeton University. Since then, she has worn many beloved caps. Her writing has made her a Quarterfinalist for the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She has devoted upwards of two weeks at a time to walking hundreds of miles in the wilderness. And, thanks to her love of the outdated art of tall ship sailing, she has earned herself a Merchant Marine license as an “Able Seaman” from the US Coast Guard. After her Lifeboatman class, she hopes she is never again required to right or bailout a lifeboat. She loves challenging students to identify their own assumptions and ask the deeper questions about a text. It’s always helpful to find the nuance in an analysis. Every paper is an adventure into another world. Why not enjoy it and make it your own?
Max-Joseph Montel
Harvard University, AB, History and Literature (Britain and Russia post 1750), Cum Laude (June, 2001)
Carnegie Mellon University, MFA Candidate, Directing (May, 2010)
Subjects covered: English, History, ACT/SAT
A lifelong learner, Max enjoys sharing his love of learning with others. A graduate of Harvard with honors and an MFA graduate of Carnegie Mellon, he knows from personal experience how hard work produces great results. With a background in history, literature, and theater, Max looks for how things connect, and encourage students to do the same. By looking at not just what someone wrote but also why they wrote it and what was going on when they did, both the lit and the history come alive in a new way. Likewise, when we look at the pop culture we enjoy now, we can see a lot of the same kinds of stories and techniques as in the great classics. Max aims to offer classes that show just how fun Shakespeare and friends really are. His greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the confidence writing skills bring to a student; the improved grades are a bonus.
Rebecca Aaron
New York University, c/o 2017
Subjects covered: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Organic Chemistry, Calculus I & 2, Biochemistry, Spanish, Italian, Spanish Literature, Creative Writing in Spanish, Italian Renaissance Literature, Spanish Poetry.
Rebecca is a Los Angeles native who graduated from NYU in 2017 from the Gallatin School of Individualized study. Her concentration was Romance Languages and Latin American Studies, and she also completed the Pre-med track and worked as a medical interpreter in various hospitals. She has been tutoring kids in a myriad of subjects for the last 8 years and loves cultivating students' passion for learning whether it be Spanish, writing or any of the hard sciences. In her free time, she loves to write songs, play guitar and cook up a storm in the kitchen!
Jacqueline Devereaux
UCLA, B.A. History and Anthropology, c/o 2017
Columbia University, M.A. Museum Anthropology, c/o 2019
Subjects: Spanish Language, Math, ISEE Test Prep, History - APUSH, AP World History Modern, English, Elementary School reading.
Jacqueline completed her Master of Arts in Museum Anthropology at Columbia University. While attending graduate school, her cohort collaborated with the American Museum of Natural History to curate, write, and design a temporary exhibit. Her thesis titled: “Disneyland Informal Archiving Strategies” captured a nuanced perspective of adaptive collective memory. Ms. Devereaux graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor of Arts degrees in both History and Anthropology from UCLA. She received History Departmental Honors for her thesis titled “Living in the American South as a Scots-Irish Immigrant in the Early 1800s.”
Additionally, she has worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, San Diego Museum of Man, Tenement Museum, and Tennessee State Library and Archives. Jacqueline honed her teaching strategies: empowerment, excitement, and excellence, while teaching history and serving as an interventionist for English in both reading and writing at City Year, New Orleans. In high school, graduating in the top of her class, she was awarded Social Studies Student of the Year and was recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction. Her hobbies include musical theatre, pumpkin flavored items, classic 1940s movies, and of course, Disney. She looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge!
River Sween
UCLA, B.S. Neuroscience, c/o 2018
Subjects covered: Chemistry, History, AP Lang
River recently graduated from UCLA where he worked in an Alzheimer's research lab, wrote for the newspaper, and participated in multiple dance teams. Specialties include the hard sciences and math, but he briefly majored in social sciences before studying neuroscience. River has an immense love for history and writing, so he would be happy to help you in those subjects as well.
River enjoys any and all forms of outdoor activities, his favorite being kayaking. Outside of research and the outdoors, he enjoys cooking, watching bad movies, and most recently animating.