MEET OUR TUTORS

Alexa Findlay

Once an El Camino College student, Alexa went on to earn her BA in Creative Writing at UC Riverside and her MA in English with an emphasis in Old and Middle English Language and Literature at CSU Long Beach. She is currently taking courses at UC Irvine to obtain her Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate. In addition to working at ECC, Alexa teaches English at other colleges. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, making jewelry, painting, and raising butterflies. 

Anthony Correa

Photo & bio coming soon!

Ashley Smith

A Toro at heart (and now a Warrior!), Ashley recently graduated from CSUDH with her MA in English Literature. A poet, a storyteller, and an encourager--her passion for words never ceases! She has a love for reading and writing, and she has published over 10 works in CSUDH's "Enjambed"; she aspires to become an editor and publish a few books, maybe even a children's series. In the meantime, she enjoys watching her nephew grow, spending time with family and friends, rewatching The Office like it's the first time, and buying more books that will likely just pile up on her desk. 

Bailey Calhoun

Photo & bio coming soon!

Bee Pietrosanti

Bee is an LA newbie born and raised in the Bronx, NYC (Mets fan students are advised to proceed with caution). She has her BA in English from St. John’s in Queens, her MA in Teaching Secondary English Language Arts from NYU, and is pursuing her second MA in English at CSULB. If she’s not tutoring or in class herself, you can find her hanging out with her house panther and house tiger, or crocheting. She’s also not afraid to shamelessly plug that she sells her crochet work, and can probably teach you how to crochet too. 

Cecilia Gamino

Photo & bio coming soon!

David Diaz

David has been teaching English around Los Angeles for the past six years after completing his MFA in Poetry at CSULB. His poetry has been published by Tia Chucha Press, San Pedro River Review, and Silver Birch Press, and he has published two chapbooks through Tiny Splendor (Los Angeles) with a third forthcoming. He is also Co-Editor of American Mustard Magazine (dormant), Co-Fiction Editor at indicia, likes to moonlight as a freelance magazine writer, and is always trying to get better.

Elizabeth King

Elizabeth transferred from Santa Monica College to UCLA where she earned a BA in English in 2019. Currently, she's pursuing an MS in Speech Language Pathology to become a speech therapist. When she's not taking notes for class or enjoying a deep nap, she's out discovering new milk tea shops or learning how to live a little more sustainably. 

Evalynna Serna

Photo & bio coming soon!

Ginger Mallery

Once an LA Harbor College student, Ginger went on to earn a BA from Marymount College and an MA from CSU Long Beach in English with emphases in Old and Middle English, 19th century British literature, and 18th century bookbinding. She plans to pursue a career in both teaching and publishing, and she is particularly interested in the publishing of children's books. In addition to her full-time job at a bakery, Ginger enjoys researching medieval marginalia and hunting for tchotchkes in antique stores, and she has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of Adventure Time.  

James Lopez

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, James has both taught and tutored at several educational institutions. Helping students grow and progress as writers and thinkers is what he loves the most about his chosen field of work. James has a B.A. in English from Loyola Marymount University as well as a Master's Degree in English from Cal State Dominguez Hills. He is a published author, illustrator, designer, and (non-professional) musician who enjoys writing, drawing, and playing music in his spare time. 

Jessica Montero

Jessica is a current graduate student at California State University, Long Beach and former El Camino student. She has her A.A. in English, B.A. in English Education, and is working on her M.A. in English (finishing her last semester now—yay!). She has been an embedded tutor for almost a year and plans to teach at the community college level. In her free time, she loves rewatching her favorite comfort TV shows (Criminal Minds, Dexter, and House, to name a few) and traveling. 

Joaquin Acosta

Photo & bio coming soon!

Katie Patton

Once an El Camino student, Katie is now a tutor in both the Writing Center and in English 1AS classes. In both environments, her favorite aspect of the job is helping students build confidence in their own writing ability. Along with tutoring, she also enjoys reading, cooking, and working as an adjunct English instructor at other community colleges. 

Laura Simko

It has been Laura’s privilege to assist students with essays ranging from climate change to fashion design. She recently received an MA in English with emphases in Rhet/Comp and medieval literature. In addition, Laura previously obtained an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and is a published writer. She also teaches writing and ESL at local colleges, and in her spare time enjoys family, Level C Spanish lit, and her perennial puppy.  

Lauren Campbell

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Lauren moved to Southern California in October 2021. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Baltimore and is currently pursuing her MA in Rhetoric and Composition at CSU Long Beach. She has ten years of experience in writing instruction, but is pleased to find that she learns something new every day through working with students. Outside of school, some of her favorite things to do include traveling and exploring, going to Disneyland, reading, and searching for the perfect slice of pizza on the west coast.  

Leslie Altstatt

Les was born in Tennessee but was raised in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Washington DC. He went to high school in Bangkok, Thailand, and graduated from George Washington University with an English Lit degree and interests in photography, journalism, and desktop publishing. He later taught ESL and worked as a private tutor in California. He married a woman from Japan named Tomoko, and their daughter Mika is a student at UCSB.

Marilyn Paiva

Once an LA Harbor College student, Marilyn went on to earn her BA from CSU Dominguez Hills in English; she is currently in her last semester of her master's program! She is majoring in English (TESOL) with the career goal of becoming an English professor.  In her free time, she loves to sing, record music, record for her podcast, go to DIsneyland, and spend time with family and friends.

Mark Walch

Pictured here with one of his younger students, Mark has tutored for many years at El Camino and in other venues. He has also worked as a dishwasher, record store clerk, and parking attendant.

Megan Parsley

Megan is a tutor in both the Writing Center and in English 1AS classes. In addition to tutoring, she works in digital content management for local schools. Megan has held roles in communications for several universities in London, New York, and California. She has a BA in Communications from Penn State University and an MA in International Journalism from City University, London. 

Michelle Rivera

Photo & bio coming soon!

Noah Thiel

Noah earned his BA degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and is currently attending CSULB to pursue his MA in English. His academic interests center around literature and philosophy, as well as math, foreign languages, history, and diverse anthropology studies. He has been writing since before he could speak and is a published poet and an aspiring writer of novels and philosophy.

Noor Zayter

Photo & bio coming soon!

Ryan Locano

A recent graduate from UC Riverside, Ryan is one of many Highlanders in the Writing Center. He received his BA in psychology with a minor in sociology. In undergrad, he was interested in writing on topics such as race, class, and gender. In life after college, he enjoys writing about Dungeons and Dragons. He plans to pursue a career in school counseling. 

Sean Patrick

Photo & bio coming soon!

TJ De Los Angeles

Photo & bio coming soon!

Yaitana Valladares

Yaitana is new to tutoring, having graduated from El Camino College in 2019 with an Associate's degree in English and CSULB in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in English & creative writing. Her hobbies include writing poems and stories, reading good books, and playing Minecraft with her five-year-old son.

Yesenia Checa

Yesenia completed their Double Bachelors in English Literature and Music Composition at Mills College in 2017. They are in the process of finishing their MA in English through an online program. Yesenia plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Education, researching how English Literature is taught in higher education and how the structure can be revamped with greater access and equity for marginalized groups. They also plan to specialize in Latin American Literature. In their free time, Yesenia plays with their Chihuahua mix, Clementine, and learns new baking recipes.