The Swyft Learning Team
James A. Landau -
Director of Business Development
James Landau graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in English and Religious Studies. He then went on to New York University to earn his Masters in English literature, and is now pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in Modern Anglophone Literature.
He teaches courses in composition, rhetoric and contemporary literature. In addition, James has over seven years experience in test-preparation tutoring and instruction, with an emphasis on the PSAT, SAT, GRE and GMAT.
Jenny J. Lee
-
Director of Academic Development
Jenny Lee attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in both Communication Studies and Sociology. She is currently pursuing her MA/PhD in Sociology from UCLA.
She has taught ESL, writing and test prep courses for the last seven years, and has developed academic curricula and test prep material for various private educational institutes and programs. Jenny has also worked extensively with college students while working as a Resident Advisor for four years in the UCLA Residence Halls.
Her editing specialties include APA and ASA formats.
Selected tutors and editors include:
Aaron Andrade
Aaron graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Biophysics and a minor in Astronomy. He is currently attending the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has taught and tutored a variety of subjects including math, calculus, MCAT prep courses, biology, physics and chemistry.
Kate Bergren
Kate graduated from Wellesley College magna cum laude with an honors major in English. She currently is pursuing a PhD in English at UCLA, where she assists in teaching classes on English and American literature. She has experience editing papers from a variety of disciplines, especially MLA and Chicago style, and including work from students of English as a foreign language.
Christina Chin
Christina graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Davis where she earned a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology and a minor in English. Currently, she is pursing a Ph.D in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she has served as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate courses. She is also a coordinator for UCLA’s Center for Community Learning.
Katherine Isokawa
Katherine graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University, where she majored in English & Comparative Literature and History and served as news editor for the university's daily student paper. She is pursuing a Ph.D in English at UCLA, where she has acted as a teaching assistant for a variety of British literature courses.
Josephine Richstad
Josie graduated magna cum laude with honors in English from Columbia College of Columbia University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English at UCLA, where she is also an instructor for courses in British and American literature. She has ten years experience tutoring ISEE, SSAT, PSAT/SAT, LSAT, and GMAT writing and critical reading, as well as secondary and post-secondary school academic subjects in the humanities. Before beginning graduate studies, she worked in publishing and editing in New York and has worked extensively as a freelance editor. Her editing specialties include Chicago and MLA formats.
Trevor Kearns
Trevor Kearns graduated with honors (equivalent to summa cum laude) and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, earning a B.A. in English and Japanese. After studying, teaching, and working as a translator in Japan for several years, he earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry) at Cornell University, where he currently teaches courses in creative writing, freshman composition, advanced expository writing, and cultural studies.In addition to his experience in Japan, he has taught ESL at a technical institute in Venezuela. His editing portfolio includes master's theses and doctoral dissertations in English written by non-native speakers. He is also a freelance writer for an educational materials publisher in New York City and has experience teaching test preparation for the SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT.
Susannah Grossman
Susannah Grossman graduated summa cum laude with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a BA in the History of Art and English. She currently teaches Archaeology at the Archer School for Girls, a private middle and high school in Los Angeles. She has tutored middle school students in language arts and writing, and served as a teaching assistant for a variety of art and architectural history courses.
