Calgary West
Tutoring

Ms. Sarah Huang

Centre Director

I was born in Taiwan and moved to the States to attend Junior High and High School. After that, I came to Canada to study at the university in Vancouver. In 2013, I changed my career to become a preschool teacher. I obtained a diploma in Early Learning Childcare Education with Bow Valley College and taught for two years.During those years, I found out that I really like challenging myself and helping others. Aside from that, I enjoy watching children develop confidence in them, especially when they gain new knowledge. The smiles on their faces are priceless! 

Ms. Reeba Sara Koshy

Centre Director

Master of Education, Master of English Literature

I am a passionate educator with a teaching career spanning over six years. I began my teaching career as a primary teacher and then moved onto the position of a college instructor. However, before I began my professional career path, I was tutoring various subjects and also teaching dance on community development platforms since facilitation had always been my passion since I was four years old. I am certified in trauma awareness by Calgary and Area Child Advocacy Centre. Four of my research articles have been published in international journals and my poem ‘Romeo’ is part of the anthology titled ‘Shakespeare Sings’ which was published in commemoration of Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary.

Being a polyglot, I love learning new languages and I am trying to improve my proficiency in French. I am currently pursuing TESOL (online) from Arizona State University.

Ms.Komal Parekh

Education Director

Get to know Komal: Born and raised in India, I moved to Canada in 2020. I have a Bachelors in Education and enjoy teaching. I have done my intensive course for French from Bordeaux, France and am a certified DELF examiner. I worked as a foreign language coordinator from 2015-2019 in Dubai. I enjoy meeting new people and interacting with them!

Specialized subjects:

• French - all levels
• English - all levels 
• Economics, Accounting, Business Studies & Maths

Komal's Hobbies: reading, travelling, hiking, and meeting new people

Mr. Stevens Rancourt

Education Coordinator

I graduated from Universite du Quebec in Trois-Rivieres with a B.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language and I have been a high school teacher for the last 18 years! I have been a coach, an educator, a teacher and a mentor for most of my life!

I enjoy teaching mathematics, science, French/ English as a Second Language and Immersion.

Mr. Anant Agarwal

Lead Tutor

Get to know Anant:                                                 

I am an Analyst by profession. I did my Masters in Petroleum Engineering in the US. As a kid, I represented India in American Regional Math League and Australian Mathematics Competition. So math is undoubtedly my favourite subject to teach. In addition to that, I like to code and create applications in the field of Predictive Modeling.

I am also a good chef and open to sharing recipes of Indian cuisine if you are interested.

Don't ask me to sing! If you hear me singing, run in the opposite direction.

I like to teach kids in a fun, jovial way so they are less likely to stress out and learn more.

Specialized Subjects:                       

• Mathematics (All levels)                           
• Physics (All levels)                                 
• Chemistry (All levels)                 
• Reading/Writing (All levels)                     
• Science (All levels)

Hobbies:                                                   

• Travelling 
• Landscape photography
• Solving puzzles 
• Watching superhero flicks 

Mr. John Wiest

Lead Tutor

Get to know John:                                                 

I am an educator (M.Sc, B.Mus) with over 10 years of experience teaching mathematics at the post-secondary and secondary levels. My primary location has been at Ambrose University in Calgary, delivering courses in calculus, linear algebra, statistics, business mathematics, physics, and computing. I also have taught courses in the Academic Upgrading department at SAIT, as well as for the College Prep program at Columbia College. I have also tutored high school mathematics on my own and through occasional tutoring institutions.

While math is my specialization, I am also a fan of English Language Arts and of the sciences and would enjoy branching out into those areas as well. 

Ms. Heather Shepley

Teacher

I achieved a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours) from McMaster University with focus areas in Social/Cultural and Medical Anthropology. I love teaching and I hope to share my love of learning and life balance with my students.

Specialized Subjects:                                                                               Language Arts, Mathematics. Biology, SAT prep

Ms. Brittany Gilstrap

Teacher

I graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor’s of Applied Linguistics, along with French and Russian as foreign languages. Part of my degree was completed at Université Lumière Lyon 2 in Lyon, France as a direct exchange student, where I also worked as an English tutor at a neighbouring high school. After graduating I spent four years in Moscow, Russia initially teaching English and French at a language school for all ages and levels, ultimately working as a Director of Studies for four language centres in and around the Moscow area. As a Director, I created and conducted teaching training seminars and designed curriculum for French and English courses. I’m also a certified Cambridge Speaking Examiner for Cambridge University Language Assessment, and it is a true pleasure preparing students for and assessing them on grammar and vocabulary, pronunciation, discourse management and interactive communication. I love seeing and experiencing the second language acquisition process and enjoy teaching everything from the foundations of the alphabet to university entrance exams.

Ryan Pothunnah

Teacher

About me:

I am a third-year mechanical engineering student at the University of Calgary, although I was born and raised in Mauritius, a tiny island off the East coast of Africa. Math and sciences (especially physics) are what I am currently studying so I would like to believe I’m very comfortable with these. Also, since I was taught and exposed to French from an early age, I am fluent in both spoken and written French and I have the DALF C1 certification to back up my claim. Fun fact: I was the male lead actor in a French play called “Le Mariage de Figaro” by the renowned playwright Molière. 

I enjoy teaching and seeing the confidence of students grow in front of my very eyes. Since I am a student myself, I believe that getting validation is an important part of gaining confidence so I try to celebrate every little achievement that the student makes while also being firm when needed.

Hobbies and interests: 

I love dogs (and cats) and animals in general. My dog is unfortunately back home in Mauritius but I see her every now and then when I video call my parents. I love listening to music, playing my ukulele and singing in my free time. Ask me about my favourite music, movies or video games at any time!

Ms. Jenna Ashby

Teacher

I am a 3rd year student at the University of Calgary, where I am working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology.  I have lived in Calgary all my life, but have been lucky enough to travel to other places like Australia, Germany and England. I am passionate about helping other students succeed and achieve their academic goals. I enjoy learning and hope I can help other students feel the same way.