As a strong student with four younger siblings, Keely has been helping with homework for nearly as long as she can remember. Her first experience tutoring outside the family, though, was at 15, when she decided that an intimidating chemistry teacher would not keep her friend group from making it through college prep chemistry together.

Though she was ultimately successful in helping all her friends earn a passing grade in chemistry, that was also an early exposure to the reality of how weak math skills could hold students back from accessing the wonder of science. Throughout the rest of high school and college, Keely tutored both peers and younger students in biology and chemistry, but often found herself spending more time demonstrating quantitative skills than addressing science content.

Keely began at Purdue as a Biochemistry major, but switched to Microbiology after an incredible honors seminar focused on infectious disease in her freshman year. She ultimately chose a graduate program at UCLA that allowed her to continue to focus on host-pathogen interactions, especially between humans and eukaryotic parasites, while also being in a multidisciplinary program that allowed her to learn from many branches of molecular biology research. Her thesis research centered around how parasitic worms use chemosensation to locate their hosts.

After earning her graduate degree, Keely initially worked as a freelance science writer, but supplemented her writing earnings with work as a test prep. She found this work incredibly rewarding, and this experience led her to deepen her knowledge of teaching reading, writing, and study skills, as well as working with students with learning differences.

In the years since, Keely has taught many students with a variety of learning profiles across academic subjects, working both as a tutor and in the classroom. Keely is passionate about helping students overcome challenges like test anxiety or executive functioning issues, as well as helping academically gifted students learn to optimize their performance to showcase their brilliance. Keely meets students where they are and creates collaborative space where students develop the skills they need to succeed in their academic lives and beyond.

Keely enjoys spending time with her family, enjoying the benefits of living in California, and having too many hobbies. On her days off, you can either find her on a hike or walk on the beach, or at home making something. Keely especially enjoys pairing a great non-fiction, fantasy, or science fiction audiobook with a craft that keeps her hands moving, or working on a kitchen project while listening to some great music.