Teaching to Learn
While studying at Cornell College, I spent time working with students to develop and enhance their writing and overall academic skills. Starting in my sophomore year, I assisted students in the Cornell College Writing Studio with a wide range of essays and personal projects. From reports on intersectional feminism in the arts to stand-up comedy routines, I helped fellow students tackle wildly different assignments.
One of my favorite aspects of this role was the challenge of diving into unfamiliar subjects, quickly forming an understanding, and guiding students through their work. Switching from my engineering-hardwired mindset to entirely different disciplines kept me on my toes and gave me a new appreciation for the diverse studies others were passionate about.
Beyond writing, I also worked as a Content Tutor in mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineering. Meeting with students one-on-one, I helped them study and understand key concepts. Because of my college’s unique scheduling system, I developed a distinctive teaching approach that emphasized real-world applications of abstract concepts.
Ironically, the more I taught, the more I learned. Following the Feynman technique, I used tutoring as a way to identify gaps in my own knowledge and strengthen my intuition for complex problems. Helping others master difficult material reinforced my own understanding and gave me a deeper appreciation for the power of effective communication in technical fields.