Our Champaign Math, Science, ACT, and SAT Tutors
Elizabeth Sotiropoulos
I'm the owner and one of the full-time tutors of Illini Tutoring. If you call or email Illini Tutoring, either as a current client or a prospective one, you'll likely talk to me first! I also work with my own limited number of students.
I have been tutoring since I was in high school. After I graduated from Centennial High School, I studied Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois, and I graduated with distinction. As a student, I took many courses in biology, chemistry, physics, math, and more, along with completing senior research in the Gillette Clockworks Lab, where I studied the effect of light on the protein cascade that controls the internal clock of mice (in other words, how do mice regulate their eating and sleeping patterns when they live in darkness?) I was in both the Centennial marching band as a clarinetist and a drum major, and then the Marching Illini where I again played clarinet. I have a teaching certification in EFL. Education is my passion. In the Spring of 2017, I was the lead organizer for the March for Science: Champaign-Urbana. I don't just want to teach math and science - I want to be a leader in the movement for making math and science accessible to everyone.
I have 12 years of tutoring experience, 7 of which have been full-time tutoring. I've worked with several thousand students of all different ages, backgrounds, and academic abilities. In high school, I wasn't the student who knew all the answers right away. Math was never easy for me and I had to work pretty hard to do well in nearly every math course. I understand why so many students struggle in math, as well as science, and because of my own experience, I can relate to the frustration and anxiety many students feel when it comes to homework and tests.
I have always loved learning, and though I did pretty well in high school and college, I'll be the first to confess that learning in a classroom was very difficult for me. I always wanted to go at my own pace, which often meant finding subjects I was interested in and teaching myself. One of the ways I continuously strive to make Illini Tutoring better is to work with tutors myself -- I both manage our tutors and help them learn how to work with students even better, and I also continue learning new subjects on my own and work with tutors from different cities. This way, I never lose touch with what it's like to be a student.
I have been tutoring since I was in high school. After I graduated from Centennial High School, I studied Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois, and I graduated with distinction. As a student, I took many courses in biology, chemistry, physics, math, and more, along with completing senior research in the Gillette Clockworks Lab, where I studied the effect of light on the protein cascade that controls the internal clock of mice (in other words, how do mice regulate their eating and sleeping patterns when they live in darkness?) I was in both the Centennial marching band as a clarinetist and a drum major, and then the Marching Illini where I again played clarinet. I have a teaching certification in EFL. Education is my passion. In the Spring of 2017, I was the lead organizer for the March for Science: Champaign-Urbana. I don't just want to teach math and science - I want to be a leader in the movement for making math and science accessible to everyone.
I have 12 years of tutoring experience, 7 of which have been full-time tutoring. I've worked with several thousand students of all different ages, backgrounds, and academic abilities. In high school, I wasn't the student who knew all the answers right away. Math was never easy for me and I had to work pretty hard to do well in nearly every math course. I understand why so many students struggle in math, as well as science, and because of my own experience, I can relate to the frustration and anxiety many students feel when it comes to homework and tests.
I have always loved learning, and though I did pretty well in high school and college, I'll be the first to confess that learning in a classroom was very difficult for me. I always wanted to go at my own pace, which often meant finding subjects I was interested in and teaching myself. One of the ways I continuously strive to make Illini Tutoring better is to work with tutors myself -- I both manage our tutors and help them learn how to work with students even better, and I also continue learning new subjects on my own and work with tutors from different cities. This way, I never lose touch with what it's like to be a student.
Elizabeth specializes in elementary math all the way through calculus I, high school physics, and high school chemistry. She started Illini Tutoring in August 2010.
Taso Sotiropoulos
I am the co-owner and a full-time tutor of Illini Tutoring. I am also the Test Prep director. I have been teaching privately for 7 years. I studied Chemistry and Music Composition at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. I am also a certified EFL teacher.
I work primarily with students who are preparing for the ACT, SAT, and SSAT, and I also work with students who need help in their math classes. I really enjoy tutoring students for the ACT, SAT, and SSAT because these tests are a huge deal. How well a student does will determine where they'll go to college, what they'll major in, and ultimately, what career they'll have some day. Helping students with these high stakes tests is challenging and extremely rewarding. I love helping students find strategies that will work for them - my job is to help them reach their full potential.
I like running, watching and playing soccer, basketball, and a lot of other sports. I also play piano. I speak English, Greek and a little Spanish. My wife, Elizabeth, and I have two young children.
I think I have the best job in the world because I work with some of the best kids and young adults in the world. I always look forward to meeting new students.
I work primarily with students who are preparing for the ACT, SAT, and SSAT, and I also work with students who need help in their math classes. I really enjoy tutoring students for the ACT, SAT, and SSAT because these tests are a huge deal. How well a student does will determine where they'll go to college, what they'll major in, and ultimately, what career they'll have some day. Helping students with these high stakes tests is challenging and extremely rewarding. I love helping students find strategies that will work for them - my job is to help them reach their full potential.
I like running, watching and playing soccer, basketball, and a lot of other sports. I also play piano. I speak English, Greek and a little Spanish. My wife, Elizabeth, and I have two young children.
I think I have the best job in the world because I work with some of the best kids and young adults in the world. I always look forward to meeting new students.
Taso is our Test Prep Director. He also specializes in all levels of math through calculus II. He has been with Illini Tutoring since August 2011.
Brandon Heller
My desire has always been to help people see math and science in a new way. I can remember what it was like to struggle and not understand a concept, so I work to incorporate that viewpoint in all I do. Even in high school, I always found that helping in peer tutoring gave me a great deal of fulfillment. As an Eastern Illinois University student, I saw many different teaching techniques and was able to learn a great deal of what works and what doesn't in a classroom. When I student taught, I found myself always drawn to the students who didn't understand a concept, and I would help them approach it how they learn best. It was my goal to treat each student as an individual learner, one who brings their own strengths and goals to the table. Most recently, I completed my Master’s degree in Natural Science at Eastern Illinois and defended my thesis on echolocation this fall. This opportunity has afforded me contact with some of the best science teachers in the state and to see some of the newest techniques that have been developed. In my first two years of teaching, I have taught courses ranging from Chemistry, Earth Science, Physical Science, Zoology, and Physics.
To have the opportunity to work with students on a one on one basis is one of the best chances for me to help make a difference in how they view the material. My goal is to help them see the material in a way that is applicable to their lives and will persist in all that they do. I am not an advocate for rote memorization, feeling we serve students better by teaching them how to think critically and solve problems, rather than ask for rapid recitation.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy teaching marching band basics during the summer and martial arts. I have trained in the Isshin-ryu style of Okinawan martial arts for 6 years and love to work with our youth belts to learn self-defense and learn discipline skills that last throughout their lives. Most of all, in all I do I love to share my enthusiasm and passion.
To have the opportunity to work with students on a one on one basis is one of the best chances for me to help make a difference in how they view the material. My goal is to help them see the material in a way that is applicable to their lives and will persist in all that they do. I am not an advocate for rote memorization, feeling we serve students better by teaching them how to think critically and solve problems, rather than ask for rapid recitation.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy teaching marching band basics during the summer and martial arts. I have trained in the Isshin-ryu style of Okinawan martial arts for 6 years and love to work with our youth belts to learn self-defense and learn discipline skills that last throughout their lives. Most of all, in all I do I love to share my enthusiasm and passion.
Brandon specializes in all levels of math through calculus I, physics, high school chemistry, test anxiety, and study skills. He has been with Illini Tutoring since August 2013.
Tori Riso
I have always loved helping fellow classmates in my math and science classes. I can even remember in elementary school, where we had a particularly abstract math program, I would finish my assignment and then go around the room and help students with their worksheets (because there was only one teacher, and a lot of confused students). I went on to do more volunteer tutoring of my peers in high school during free period. I never wanted anyone to feel like they were being left behind in their classes, and I knew I could help. Math and science have always been a passion of mine- it is amazing everything that we have learned and everything we still have left to learn about the natural world! I hope that I can impart this excitement on younger students by showing where math and science fit into their interests and the world around them.
Before coming to graduate school at UIUC, I graduated with a BS in Engineering Physics from the University at Buffalo in New York State. Now, I am studying Nuclear Engineering with a focus on power for my MS. I have wanted to study Nuclear Engineering ever since high school where a fantastic teacher gave me a little nudge when I wasn’t so sure what “engineering” was all about. Now I am a self-proclaimed nerd! I saw then, and I still see now, that nuclear energy is going to be important for the future as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. After earning my MS in Nuclear Engineering I want to work in the nuclear energy industry- either at a power plant or at a private company doing research for the next generation of power plants. (I welcome questions about nuclear energy, we get a bad rap and I want to work to change that!)
Outside of classes, I am working on my master’s thesis which focuses on the properties of stainless steel for nuclear reactors. I also spend as much time as I can visiting friends and family. My family is very close to me and being from Buffalo, New York I don’t often get to see everyone. (And no, we do not get snow year-round.) When I’m not traveling, I like to cook, get my exercise in, and watch movies. Growing up, my mom and grandma taught me to cook and bake, and I like to experiment with modifying recipes. No one in my research group bakes, so I love to surprise them with a treat every now and then. I get in exercise through running, sports, or yoga- it’s a surprisingly good workout! As far as movies, I like all genres, though Disney Classics will certainly always have a special place in my heart.
Before coming to graduate school at UIUC, I graduated with a BS in Engineering Physics from the University at Buffalo in New York State. Now, I am studying Nuclear Engineering with a focus on power for my MS. I have wanted to study Nuclear Engineering ever since high school where a fantastic teacher gave me a little nudge when I wasn’t so sure what “engineering” was all about. Now I am a self-proclaimed nerd! I saw then, and I still see now, that nuclear energy is going to be important for the future as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. After earning my MS in Nuclear Engineering I want to work in the nuclear energy industry- either at a power plant or at a private company doing research for the next generation of power plants. (I welcome questions about nuclear energy, we get a bad rap and I want to work to change that!)
Outside of classes, I am working on my master’s thesis which focuses on the properties of stainless steel for nuclear reactors. I also spend as much time as I can visiting friends and family. My family is very close to me and being from Buffalo, New York I don’t often get to see everyone. (And no, we do not get snow year-round.) When I’m not traveling, I like to cook, get my exercise in, and watch movies. Growing up, my mom and grandma taught me to cook and bake, and I like to experiment with modifying recipes. No one in my research group bakes, so I love to surprise them with a treat every now and then. I get in exercise through running, sports, or yoga- it’s a surprisingly good workout! As far as movies, I like all genres, though Disney Classics will certainly always have a special place in my heart.
Tori specializes in all levels of math through calculus II, physics, and high school chemistry. She has been with Illini Tutoring since May 2017.
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