Owner: Mary Heffernan
Academic Trainers has been in downtown Menlo Park for over 10 years providing private tutoring for homework help, enrichment, test preparation and much more. Mary Heffernan (formerly Mary Simonson), a Menlo Park native, started Academic Trainers with the vision of an all-inclusive center that would provide guidance and resources to help students excel in their studies. Since starting Academic Trainers, Mary has opened several local businesses and is currently busy at Bumble, a farm-to-table restaurant for families and PLAY, an indoor playspace for learning and exploration in Los Altos where she resides with her husband, Brian, and their three girls Francie (4), Maisie (2) and Janie (1).
Manager: Caitlin Tierney
Caitlin earned her BA in Linguistics and Scandinavian Area Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. She loves school, especially foreign language! She speaks French, Latvian, some Spanish and a little bit of Mandarin Chinese. Caitlin recently moved to Menlo Park and just loves the atmosphere and the people. She was a tutor in high school and college and is thrilled to be back in an academic environment where she can help people get the best help available with their school work and test prep.
Academic Couneslor and Test Prep Director: Sarah Mitchell
Sarah earned her MS of Psychology from Chaminade University and her BA in Philosophy and Biology from University of Hawaii. Sarah is incredibly attentive to her students' individual needs. Her students describe her as a very fun, visual, and motivational coach. Sarah is a mother of two sweet boys and loves playing soccer, going for hikes, camping, and reading. Helping kids in academics, family, and life will always be a part of her mission.
Meet the Tutors
Calandra studied English at the University of California Berkeley. As a tutor, Calandra is outgoing, interactive, and makes a point to cater each session to her students’ individual learning styles while at the same time incorporating the students’ interests and hobbies. Calandra will be starting her Masters in English Literature at San Francisco State this fall. Outside of work and school, she loves writing and anything related to music including practicing the flute, piano, and singing.
Camille is a proud graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School and is currently studying Anthropology and Chemistry at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. As a tutor, Camille is incredibly organized and diligent; she likes to proceed step-by-step to ensure the student’s complete understanding of the concepts at hand. Camille especially enjoys assisting students with English and Spanish and she herself is currently learning French and Mandarin!
Casey is a local through and through! She went to St. Joseph's, Sacred Heart Preparatory, and Menlo-Atherton. She loves playing sports, being outdoors, and animals. Soccer, basketball, and hiking are her very favorites! Casey is experienced working with students who have learning or behavioral challenges, and she just loves the younger crowd.
Corey earned her BA in Sociology with a minor in education from UC Davis in 2009. She continued her studies in Davis and received her teaching credential in 2010 and her Masters in Education the spring of 2011. Corey grew up in the Menlo Park area and attended the MPCSD schoools. Currently, she works at Laurel elementary as an aide and an ESL teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys running, painting, and being with the people she loves.
Jahed went to UC Irvine for Chemistry and Molecular Biology and earned his Master's Degree from University of Illinois. He's a math and science guy through and through, and he loves helping kids see that science isn't so scary. He's lived abroad for the last two years, spending time in five countries. Ask him about strength sports!
Libby graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a major in History and a minor in Psychology. Her strengths lie in World History and English, as well as many other humanities and social studies subjects. Libby likes her students to have fun while they work with her, but knows how important it is for the students to get all of their work done! Libby is currently taking a break from working professionally in photography, and is planning on acquiring a Masters in History, as well as a teaching credential to teach at the high school level.
Liza attended UC Santa Barbara where she earned a B.S. in Microbiology and a M.A. of Molecular Biology. While in school, Liza competed as a NCAA Division I student-athlete in Track and Cross Country. Outside of work, Liza loves to run, practice yoga, drink coffee, and travel. She currently does clinical research and aspires to earn an advanced degree in healthcare someday. Liza’s students often describe her as being incredibly organized, encouraging, patient.
Max attended UCSD and earned his Bachelors of Chemistry and Psychology. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University with the hope of working with at-risk and delinquent teens. Max started his tutoring career at the age of 18 as a volunteer for at-risk teens. He often makes a tremendous impact on the students whom he tutors and finds it incredibly gratifying to motivate students to do well. Overall, Max prides himself on being healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally. He strives for balance every day and enjoys new foods, boxing, kickboxing, jiu jitsu, surfing and hiking. Max believes every student can succeed!
Michelle attended Stanford University where she studied Management Science and Engineering. She's a talented motivator and loves to help her students feel confident about upcoming tests.
Nick earned his Bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in Cognitive Science. He's a whiz at all kinds of math and science, and can help students organize their academic lives from learning study skills to writing papers. He's very experienced in test prep for those applying to school in the near future.
Purnima studied Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. Her strengths are in Math, Physics and Chemistry. She's also a great test prep tutor! As a tutor, she personalizes her tutoring to fit the students' learning style so that the student gets both practice and conceptual understanding. She believes that Math and Science need not be stressful if the student gets enough time and proper guidance. In her sessions, students will get things done, as well as learn to appreciate the subject. Outside of work and studies, Purnima enjoys hiking, reading, and tennis.
Raquel is a student at Stanford University where she studies Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. She came here from San Diego! Raquel speaks fluent Spanish and loves anything history, politics, and literature. She likes to help students organize their lives so they can reduce stress and be successful.
Rex attended UC Davis where he earned a BS in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. As a tutor, Rex encourages his students to explain the concept to him before working through example problems, and figuring out a method for solving them. He always makes the tutoring sessions fun and engaging while at the same time maintaining focus and concentration. Rex enjoys photography, playing golf, and tinkering with electronics and computers. He aspires to be a medical doctor and obtain a MA or PhD in Neuroscience or Psychology. Fun Fact: Rex has owned 5 different cell phones in the past 2 years.
Stephanie earned her B.A. in Sociology from UC Riverside and will graduate this May from the University of San Francisco with a M.A. in School Counseling. Stephanie’s tutoring style is very interactive and patient while also making the work challenging for her students. She believes it to be very important to build a connection beyond academics with her students and will often spend the first 5 – 10 minutes of the first session establishing that bond. In her free time, Stephanie likes to work out, read, eat, and attempt to cook since she greatly enjoys food. She also loves to travel and wants to visit every continent during her lifetime!
Tomi earned her Bachelor's in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Harvard University. She grew up in the Bay Area (went to Castilleja!) and loves to tutor biology and chemistry! She is ready to help students tackle serious math and science, but she's had lots of experience tutoring children of all ages. As a tutor, Tomi encourages her students to get a solid understanding of a problem's underlying concepts rather than just try to get the right answer. Currently, Tomi is a clinical research assistant at Stanford University. In her free time, Tomi enjoys running at Rancho San Antonio park, playing the guitar, and spending time with her family.