TSTN tutors are highly qualified. Some have several university degrees while many have won numerous academic awards and have also been recognized for their achievements outside of the classroom. Please note that not all of our tutors are listed here as tutors are not obligated to provide profiles. Please also note that all of our tutors are independent contractors, and are not employees or agents of TSTN for any purpose whatsoever.

Maryam Noor Ali

Maryam is a fourth year York University student enrolled in the Specialized Geography Program. Along with theoretical studies, she is passionately perusing her certification in GIS and Remote Sensing techniques which will broaden her spatial, locational and analytical skills. Her outstanding academic results and achievements in her major field secured her an honorary affiliation in the Golden Key International Society, influencing her to continue her studies by applying to the Masters program in Geography at York. Her proposed study and research interest revolves around the South Asian immigration and ethnicities in the Greater Toronto Area with respect to education attainments and employment trajectories of second generation immigrants.

Cassandra Alexopoulos

Cassandra is in her second year at York University in the Professional Writing Program. She has a passion for writing and language as she plans to apply for her Certificate of Advanced French Proficiency and has begun to learn Spanish (Castilian) this academic year. She has a variety of hobbies and interests that go beyond writing such as playing the cello and learning about film and astronomy.

Charles Boyes

Charles is a doctoral candidate, ABD, in the English department at the University of Waterloo. He holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from York University and an MA in English from Carleton University. Currently, his research interests include, but are by no means limited to: animal rights theory, critical theory, philosophy of activism, contemporary American literature, and discourse analysis. His dissertation focuses on some of the intersections and interconnections of these subjects.

Charles has taught at the university level for five years, both as a teaching assistant and as contract faculty. Recently, his teaching duties have been given over to introductory courses on academic and technical writing, which include all conceivable topics related to writing for and outside the academy: generating ides, grammar, document formatting, etc. So, he is equally comfortable discussing High Modernist poetry, the impenetrability of Book Five of Spinoza's _Ethics_, or the proper function of semi-colons in a sentence (and oddly passionate about that last one, too!).

Marcel Cohen

"Who is wise? He who learns from everyone." - Ethics of our Fathers. Marcel loves to teach and entertain audiences - as a teacher and a musician. Marcel holds an undergraduate specialist degree in Arts Administration from Scarborough College, University of Toronto's Cooperative Program. Marcel has worked for the CBC, The Council for Business and the Arts in Canada and The Frederick Harris Music Company as a sales agent in both Canada and Israel.

Having lived in Israel for 11 years, Marcel is familiar with Israeli life and has returned to Toronto where he has obtained the certification of an advanced Hebrew and Judaic Studies teaching degree (Level 6 in the Midrasha Le Morim ranking) from the Toronto Board of Jewish Education. Marcel has taught Mishna, Jewish Law, Torah and Jewish Prayer both individually and at the United Synagogue Day School.

Diana Cucuz

Diana is currently a PhD candidate, ABD, at York University, specializing in American history, women’s and gender history and social and cultural history. She completed her M.A. in history at McMaster University, as well as her undergraduate work in history and political science at the same university. Her research interests include the relationship between public and private: foreign and domestic policy, and its impact on gender roles and representations during Cold War America and the Soviet Union. She has a great deal of experience working with high school and undergraduate students, as a Youth Community Relations Officer with Elections Canada, in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Ryerson University, and as a teaching assistant for courses on the Atlantic World, Latin America, social and cultural history, and the history of childhood. Diana’s goal is to instill in young people the passion for writing, history and politics that she has, and in order to do this, she looks forward to a career in teaching and hopefully one day, politics.

Elissa Gurman

Elissa is a PhD student in English Literature at the University of Toronto. She holds an MA in English Literature from Dalhousie University and a BA in honours English Literature from McGill University. She has experience as an editor, as well as a tutor in numerous subjects including English and essay writing, French (she is a native Quebecer and completely bilingual), social studies and high school mathematics. She also has experience teaching at the elementary, secondary and university levels. In addition, she has experience with standardized tests.

Jeremy Lim

Jeremy is currently a PhD student studying English literature at the University of Toronto. He is also a teaching assistant at UTSC. He has 2 years of international ESL and gifted-education teaching experience. Mentored by teacher consultants from the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), he has also presented lesson packages on teaching poetry from former British colonies to representatives from CfBT.

A.J. Lowik

A.J. earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Sexual Diversity Studies from the University of Toronto in 2008, and is now working on a Masters of Arts in Sociology at York University. A.J. has attended numerous workshops and conferences on topics such as sexuality and gender in youth, bisexuality and mental health, and access to education for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In June 2011, A.J. was invited to attend a week-long intensive training conference for graduate students, hosted by the Canadian Institute for Health Research's Institute for Gender and Health in Vancouver, British Columbia. A.J. is dedicated to issues of equity, non-discrimination, accessibility and the celebration of diversity; A.J. believes in the potential and value of all people, and brings this belief to every tutoring session.

Anna Natoli

Anna is a graduate student completing a PhD and has been a student of Cultural Studies, Humanities, Sociology, and Women’s Studies. She has been a teaching assistant in the university for a number of years in a range of disciplines: Cultural Studies, introduction to the discipline and mass media and society; English, introduction to nonfiction; Social Science, teaching foundational reading, writing, and critical thinking skills for success at the university; Sociology, introduction, aging, and art and culture; and Women’s Studies. More recently she has undertaken teaching in the allied health sciences in the inter-professionalism curriculum, has gained experience in curriculum design (in classroom and online) and provides editing services for dissertations, theses and articles. Her interest is to foster an educational environment that aids learners to recognize their capacity to become independent, analytical and critical thinkers.

Anna-Maria Neppel

Anna-Maria is a graduate student in the Department of English at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in History and English. Her literary interests include Renaissance and Early Modern Literature, particularly Milton and Shakespeare. She has a passion for travel and has lived in both France and Egypt where she had the opportunity to continue to perfect her French and to begin learning Arabic. Anna-Maria has practical teaching experience as she taught English in Cairo for six months before beginning graduate studies.

Dr. Stuart Rutten

Dr. Rutten completed his PhD at the University of Toronto and has since worked at St Michael’s College University, The University of Wyoming, and The University of Manchester in England. Dr. Rutten has led university courses in English, History, Mythology, and Cultural Studies, and has experience tutoring students one on one in Latin and German. Dr Rutten has also studied elementary education, on-line learning and development, and taken introductory courses in working with Asperger Syndrome children and other students with High-functioning ASD. A native English speaker, Dr Rutten is able to work with students of English at all levels, from K through University and is willing to proofread theses and offer writing skills help, having worked in university writing centres and taught university composition courses. Furthermore, Dr Rutten is able to work in many other areas, including K – University Latin, K – 6 all subjects, and k – 12 History and Social Sciences.

Jason Shvili

Jason is the founder and owner of The Student Tutoring Network. He now serves as the Network Administrator, responsible for running the Network’s day-to-day operations. Jason has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History and a Master’s degree in Political Science, both from the University of Toronto. His areas of expertise are in Israeli and Middle Eastern politics and history, and ethnic and pluralism studies. In addition to his native English, Jason can read, write and speak Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and French. He has also published several articles on issues ranging from local politics to Middle Eastern affairs.

Stephanie Smith

Stephanie is currently a teacher candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa with an honours BA with a specialization in English and a minor in Biology, and has just completed an MA in English at U of T. Some of her research interests include narrative technique and reader-text interactions, particularly in Modern literature. Stephanie hopes to be a high school English teacher, helping students to develop life-long literacy and writing skills, and an appreciation of the world of literature and the power of the written (and spoken) word.

Michael Wassermann

“The road to reality is paved with your intentions, be they good or bad.” -Dr. Paul Fry.
Michael is pursuing his MA in English Literature at the University of Toronto. He holds dual degrees in English Literature and Sociology from Barrett, the Honours College at Arizona State University, and eventually intends to pursue a career in law. His research interests include critical theory and the cross application of the social sciences and literature. Michael’s interminable pursuit of the acquisition and application of knowledge fuels his desire to learn as much as possible from others. This unending quest is precisely what makes tutoring a rewarding experience for him. Through providing private tutoring lessons in the past, Michael has years of experience working one-on-one with a wide range of individuals in order to promote understanding and harness a student’s creative energy. Michael strongly believes that no concept is too difficult to grasp and that the mentor should be learning just as much from the mentee.

Rebecca Widdicombe

Rebecca holds an MA in English from the University of Toronto and a BA from the University of Winnipeg with honours in English. She is the recipient of several undergraduate and graduate scholarships, most notably a Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC) and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. In addition to her English studies, Rebecca has taken courses in Politics and Creative Writing. Her academic interests include 20th century literature, psychoanalytic theory, and feminist theory. She has worked as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate-level English courses, and as an editor for various academic publications. She wrote the glossary of critical terms for An Introductory Guide to Writing About Literature published by Nelson Education (2011).