Marlisa R. Johnson, M.Ed.
Director

Marlisa graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Spelman College. She then went on to be the recipient of a Rackham Merit Fellowship from the University of Michigan where she earned a Master of Education degree and teaching credentials in mathematics and economics. The foci of her Master’s work were “multiculturalism in mathematics” and “girls and mathphobia”.

Marlisa has classroom teaching experience at two of the top independent schools in Los Angeles. She has taught both middle school and high school mathematics and has also worked as a basketball coach. Marlisa has worked with a variety of academic enrichment programs in several roles: teacher, administrator and student. Among them – SHARP program at NASA, Princeton Summer Research Experience, Summer Engineering Program at the University of Michigan and Summerbridge.

Marlisa is the founder of Mathtopian Preparation and has more than ten years of experience as a private mathematics tutor and test prep coach. She has built a clientele of students from several independent schools on the Westside, but works with students from other areas of the city as well. She provides SAT Prep to students participating in the Upward Bound Math Science program at Pasadena City College and provides math enrichment sessions to students participating in the Talent Search program at Cal State Los Angeles. Marlisa also works as a freelance curriculum writer and evaluator for the Galef Institute.

Among her professional associations, Marlisa serves on Advisory Board of the California Association for the Gifted Central Cities Region and is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She was a selected fellow of the Educational Leadership Institute and recently served as an ITEST panelist for the National Science Foundation. In addition, she serves on the Visioning Committee of the Infinite Possibilities Conference, a conference that brings together women mathematicians of color from around the nation.

Angela Cobb
Writing, Grammar, SAT English, ACT English
Angela Cobb is our resident writing and grammar expert. She specializes in teaching writing using techniques including rhetoric, grammar and sentence fluency. Angela currently teaches Advanced Placement English Language at Compton High School and provides writing workshops through the Center for Educational Partnerships at UC Irvine. Angela is certified to score the SAT Essay Section and has worked as a reader for the College Board for the past several years. In addition, Angela has received extensive training from the University of California on the requirements of their admissions essay. The Writing Bootcamp – a customized writing course for small groups is taught by Angela during the summer.

Felicia Dalton
Pre Algebra through AP Calculus AB
Felicia Dalton graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Accounting, as well as a Masters in Education and a California Teaching Credential. Felicia is the math department co-chair and also a math instructional coach at Belmont High School. Throughout the years, Felicia has taught everything from Algebra 1 to AP Calculus. She believes that her strength is instruction – she is able to teach complex math ideas in a very understandable and clear way. “As a teacher, I know what teachers expect and what concepts are important. I am also a very patient, clear and efficient instructor.”

Rusha Shah
Biology and Chemistry
Rusha is a “natural teacher.” Drawn to the art at an early age, she started teaching with no formal training and found herself with a very dedicated following… Rusha was trained in a Psychobiology at UCLA and minored in Global Studies.  She particularly enjoys pondering deep questions from biology and chemistry. Rusha likes to simplify complicated complex and use analogies to help students understand difficult topics.

Jessica Gregson
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Physics
Jessica first discovered her talents in mathematics and science during high school when she won various awards at the state level. In 2000, she received a full academic scholarship to study physics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, she completed an internship in high-energy physics with Columbia University and an internship with Kent State University’s Liquid Crystal Institute. Jessica graduated from Carnegie Mellon with her BA in Physics and a minor in English in 2005. She has been tutoring physics and mathematics since 1999.

Jeanne Loh
English
Jeanne Loh graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English.  She earned a Masters Degree in Education as well as a teaching credential from UCLA in 2001.  After teaching at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, she moved to Beijing, China, and taught conversational English.  Upon returning home, she spent five years teaching English at Palo Alto High School.  Jeanne is currently pursuing a Doctor in Education degree at U.S.C.'s Rossier School of Education.  She enjoys teaching students critical thinking skills through literature and has a particular interest in multicultural literature and ethnic studies.