Academic Tutors

Jack Leonard

Hi! My name is Jack Leonard and I am the president of Top Hat Tutors and currently a senior at Staples High School. Having taken classes such as AP Chemistry and AP Macro/Microeconomics, I am currently enrolled in classes such as AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, AP European History, and AP Spanish Language. I am the most passionate about chemistry and biology which I have taken both at the honors level as an underclassman. Outside of Top Hat, I play on the Staples Baseball Team and love to ski whenever I get the chance. I am excited to work with you and share concepts in simple and understandable ways! Looking foward to another great year of tutoring and can't wait to meet more students!

Jay Hari

Hi, I'm Jay Hari! I'm the vice president of Top Hat Tutors and a senior at Staples High School. I've taken AP Computer Science A, AP Calculus BC, AP U.S. History, and AP Biology, and I'm currently taking AP Physics C: Kinematics, AP Physics C: E&M, AP English Language, and AP Government We the People. I also am part of the Staples Debate club, and Stradivarius Chamber orchestra at school, in addition to the Symphonic orchestra. I'm also in my 6th year of learning Mandarin at Staples. I'm passionate about coding, artificial intelligence, and biology. I play tennis, cello, and piano. I'm also a trained Emergency Medical Technician, and I've written a research paper on Artificial Intelligence. I can't wait to help you learn any and all of these skills and more!

Lila Boroujerdi

Hi everyone! My name is Lila Boroujerdi and I'm a junior at Staples High School. I have taken AP U.S. History and this year I will be taking AP English Language, AP U.S. Government, AP Environmental Science, and Mandarin 4 Honors. I excel in the humanities, but am able to tutor in all subjects. Outside of school, I am a member of the Staples Varsity Track and Field team, the co-vice president of Staples' Civic Leaders of America, and the co-founder and president of Staples' Current Events Club. I look forward to working with you this year!

Taylor Serotta

Hi, my name is Taylor Serotta and I am a junior at Staples High School. I am very passionate about tutoring for a variety of subjects, especially math. Last year, I took AP US History and received a 5 on the exam. This year, I am taking AP Calculus AB, AP European History, AP Language, and AP Macro/Microeconomics. Outside of school, I run a non-profit organization, babysit, and volunteer as a tutor for the ASPIRE program at the Family and Children's Agency.

Brooke Shaughnessy

Hi, My name is Brooke Shaughnessy and I'm a junior at Staples High School. This year I'm taking classes such as AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Economics, Mandarin Honors, and Pre Calculas Honors. Outside of school, I love playing volleyball, and I am starting a section of a non-profit I am working with at Staples! My favorite subjects are math and science, and I'm looking forward to helping students with these subjects this year!

Olivia Kuliga

Hi! My name is Olivia Kuliga and I am a junior at Staples High School. Last year, I took four honors classes, and this coming year I am excited to take AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP Biology, and AP Statistics along with a few other honors classes. Outside of tutoring, I am on the Staples Varsity Squash and Water Polo team, a lifeguard for Westport Parks and Rec, and participate in multiple clubs at Staples. I am looking forward to working with you this year!

Sophie Smith

Hi! My name is Sophie Smith and I am a junior at Staples High School. Last year, I took all honors and AP U.S. History, and this coming year I am looking forward to taking AP Government, AP Language, and AP Biology. My favorite subject is English, so I would love to tutor classes sophomore level or below. Outside of the school day, I am on the squash team, I am an editor for Inklings magazine, and the founder of Peters Heart Club. I can’t wait to work with Top Hat this year!

Sienna Sedlarcik

Hi! My name is Sienna Sedlarcik and I am a Junior at Staples High School. I am currently taking AP Government, AP Language, AP Environmental Science, and AP European History. I also took AP US History last year. Outside of school, I play tennis and piano, and I'm a member of the Teen Awareness Group (TAG), First Serve Staples, volunteer with NCL, and more. I look forward to working with you this year!

Sauraj Singh

Hi, my name is Sauraj Singh and I'm a junior at Staples High School! I excel in science and mathematics as I've taken AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, and AP Computer Science Principles and scored 5s on all three exams. This year, I'm taking AP Economics, AP Calculus BC+, APCSA, and AP Physics 1! In my free time, I love to train boxing, play squash, and lift weights. I've been on the other side, so my goal is to share my knowledge and help relieve others of their stress, while keeping concepts engaging and understandable!

Zara Saliba

Hi everyone! My name is Zara Saliba, a junior at Staples High School. This year I will be taking AP English Language, AP U.S. Government, AP Biology, and Spanish 5 Honors. I am very passionate about tutoring in all subjects, but especially the humanities. Outside of school, I am an Editor for Inklings News, earning awards for exceptional articles I have written; additionally, I am the co-president of IDEA (DEA awareness group) and the secretary of Staples' chapter of Future Business Leaders of America. I look forward to working with you this year!

Rachel Cobrin

Hi, I’m Rachel Cobrin and I’m a junior at Weston High School. This year I am taking AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, AP Lang, and AP Psychology. Outside of school I play volleyball and run track as well as participating in Friendship Circle and the Weston Academic Science Research Club. I love math and science and I’m looking forward to a great year!

Luka Navaresse

Hi, if you're looking for someone who's easy to communicate with and well experienced in STEM subjects, you've found the right guy! I have taken the highest level courses available in almost every class in all my years of high school and would be a fantastic fit for you.

Reia Bhardwaj

Hey there! I'm Reia, and I spent 11 amazing years in Singapore, where I started learning Mandarin at just 2 years old. Even though I'm not Chinese, I dove into the language and culture and ended up doing really well in my studies. I got a 98 in AP Mandarin and scored a 5 on the AP exam! I totally get how tough it can be to learn Mandarin as a non-native speaker, and I'm here to help anyone from beginners to AP level students. Whether you need help with speaking, reading, writing, or prepping for exams, I'm excited to share my love for the language and help you succeed. Let's make learning Mandarin fun and awesome!

Sutton Gyselen

Hi! My name is Sutton Gyselen, and I am a junior at Staples High School. I took AP United States History sophomore year and I am currently taking AP Computer Science Principles, AP Micro/Macro Economics, and AP Statistics. Additionally, all of my English and Language(Spanish) courses have been in honors. I love math and writing, but I can help in any course! I am a part of the Staples Varsity Cheerleading Team, and the Girls Golf team, and I am the president of the Jewish Culture Club. Outside of Staples, I am the HR Director of a teen-led organization, Up Next, whose mission is to relive food insecurity. I am looking forward to tutoring and helping students this year!

Tanush Arora

Hi! My name is Tanush Arora, and I am a senior at Staples High School. Over my time at Staples, I have taken 3 AP and 8 honors classes. As a junior, I took AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government and Politics, and AP Environmental Science, all of which I got 4's or 5's on in the AP Exams. This year, I am taking Calculus BC+, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP Statistics, and AP Latin. I especially love math and English, but I am passionate about many subjects. I can help in any of the core subjects up to sophomore year, as well as the classes listed above. Outside of Top Hat, I play basketball, volunteer through SLOBS as well as the Westport Center for Senior Activities, and run a business-related podcast with a few friends. As someone who used to struggle in school, I developed and learned many strategies that brought my grades up, which I am more than excited to share with you! I look forward to tutoring and engagingly helping you!

Tanush Arora

Hi! My name is Tanush Arora, and I am a senior at Staples High School. Over my time at Staples, I have taken 3 AP and 8 honors classes. As a junior, I took AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government and Politics, and AP Environmental Science, all of which I got 4's or 5's on in the AP Exams. This year, I am taking Calculus BC+, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP Statistics, and AP Latin. I especially love math and English, but I am passionate about many subjects. I can help in any of the core subjects up to sophomore year, as well as the classes listed above. Outside of Top Hat, I play basketball, volunteer through SLOBS as well as the Westport Center for Senior Activities, and run a business-related podcast with a few friends. As someone who used to struggle in school, I developed and learned many strategies that brought my grades up, which I am more than excited to share with you! I look forward to tutoring and engagingly helping you!

Oliver Hudonogov Foster

Hi! My name is Oliver, and I’m a senior at Hopkins School. I’m well versed in a wide range of subjects. I’ve taken both AP English Language and AP English Literature, advanced Writing Seminar and took Nature Literature. In the sciences, I’ve taken AP Physics, AP Bio, AP Chem and Honors Chem. In math I’m currently taking AP Stats and AP Calculus. I definitely have a background in the previous subjects but, I’ve always been a big history buff since I was little and subsequently took AP European History and taking AP Human Geography this year. Outside of school I play soccer everyday, run and throw on track and do varsity for the both of them. Along with Top Hat, I teach tennis, am vice head of my schools Save the Children club and volunteer every week at Homes With Hope. I’ve come a long way as a student and I wanna share what I've learned with others and above all else, I really care about getting to know who I teach.

Tanush Arora

Hi! My name is Tanush Arora, and I am a senior at Staples High School. Over my time at Staples, I have taken 3 AP and 8 honors classes. As a junior, I took AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government and Politics, and AP Environmental Science, all of which I got 4's or 5's on in the AP Exams. This year, I am taking Calculus BC+, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP Statistics, and AP Latin. I especially love math and English, but I am passionate about many subjects. I can help in any of the core subjects up to sophomore year, as well as the classes listed above. Outside of Top Hat, I play basketball, volunteer through SLOBS as well as the Westport Center for Senior Activities, and run a business-related podcast with a few friends. As someone who used to struggle in school, I developed and learned many strategies that brought my grades up, which I am more than excited to share with you! I look forward to tutoring and engagingly helping you!

Tanush Arora

Hi! My name is Tanush Arora, and I am a senior at Staples High School. Over my time at Staples, I have taken 3 AP and 8 honors classes. As a junior, I took AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government and Politics, and AP Environmental Science, all of which I got 4's or 5's on in the AP Exams. This year, I am taking Calculus BC+, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP Statistics, and AP Latin. I especially love math and English, but I am passionate about many subjects. I can help in any of the core subjects up to sophomore year, as well as the classes listed above. Outside of Top Hat, I play basketball, volunteer through SLOBS as well as the Westport Center for Senior Activities, and run a business-related podcast with a few friends. As someone who used to struggle in school, I developed and learned many strategies that brought my grades up, which I am more than excited to share with you! I look forward to tutoring and engagingly helping you!

Demeil Betfarhad

Hi my name is Demeil! I am a senior at Staples high school. So far I have taken 10 honors courses and 3 AP's(AP Government and politics, AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP physics 1). I am now currently taking AP Calc AB, AP Statistics, AP Spanish Language and culture, and AP Music theory. I have always loved history and math class. Outside of Top hat tutors, I sing, row, and am a part of SLOBS(service league of boys). I used to struggle in school, so I started getting help from my older siblings to help me succeed and I saw a lot of success through this. I want to do the same by using my knowledge, determination, and ambition to help you succeed as well!

Julian Garfield

Hi! My name is Julian, and I’m a senior at Staples High School. I’ve taken or am currently taking 12 honors courses and 9 APs, including AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, Physics Honors, AP Physics C (Mechanics and E&M), AP Calculus BC+, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Economics (Macroeconomics and Microeconomics), and AP Latin. I especially enjoy math, physics, and engineering, but I’m happy to help across a range of subjects. Outside of academics, I’m passionate about cars and engineering projects, and I’m also involved in SLOBs (Service League of Boys). I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned and helping you succeed!

Braeden Nahmias

Hi, my name is Brady Nahmias, and I am a senior at Staples High School. I have taken AP Chemistry and AP Calculus AB. I am currently enrolled in AP Physics C, AP Statistics, AP Macro/Micro Economics, AP Computer Science, Calculus BC Plus, and independently studying Organic Chemistry. My academic passion is science, and I will have taken 12 science classes at Staples by the time I graduate. Outside of Top hat tutors I serve on the Executive Board of the Service League of Boys (SLOBs), I am Captain of the Staples Water Polo team, Swimming and Track and Field teams as well as a member of the Chemistry Club.

Charles McGillion-Moore

Hi, I’m Charles McGillion-Moore, and I’m currently a junior at Staples High School. By the end of this year, I will have completed five AP courses and eight honors-level classes. I’m most passionate about math-related courses, and this year I am taking AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP Microeconomics, and AP Macroeconomics. While my favorite subjects tend to be more quantitative, I’ve also chosen equally rigorous courses in other disciplines, developing a genuine interest in both STEM and the humanities. Outside of school, I row at Maritime Rowing Club in Norwalk, where my crew qualified for and competed at the Youth National Championships this past summer. Locally, I serve as a voting member of the Westport Youth Commission, a Senior Scout in Troop 39, and a frequent volunteer at the Person-to-Person pantry. Through tutoring, I strive to share not only the knowledge needed to succeed but also the deeper reasoning behind concepts, helping students understand the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how.’