Alexandra Wardle

Alexandra is a Sophomore at MIT majoring in Biological Engineering. In 2020, Alexandra was the recipient of the M.A.S.S. Certificate of Academic Excellence and she participated in the 2022 MIT Battlecode, an AI Tournament, and Code For Good; where she contributed towards the development of a web app to support nonprofit organisation Aaron’s Present. Her work experience includes an Undergraduate research internship at the Center for Engineering in Medicine (CEM) at Harvard University where she focused on liver decellularization and recellularization with applications in organ transplants. She was a teaching assistant at Penguin Coding School where she supported students in STEM coding courses. In her free time, Alexandra is involved in the MIT Symphony Orchestra, MIT Video Game Orchestra and is on the sMITe Ultimate Frisbee Team.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I’ve had a lot of experience teaching students, and I really enjoy it. It’s a great opportunity to contribute/give back to a community and connect with younger generations of students.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: Not only do I have some teaching experience, I also have some experience making curriculums for classes. I was responsible for creating a full curriculum for a coding summer camp class in 2021.

Amelia Dogan

Amelia is a Senior at MIT majoring in Urban Planning with Computer Science and American Studies. When they are not studying Amelia is on the MIT Office of Minority Education Student Advisory Council, the MIT Asian American Initiative Executive Board, is a MIT Campus Planning Undergraduate Representative, an MIT Society of Women Engineers member, an MIT Associate Advisor and a TSR^2 Computer Science Tutor. Their relevant work experience includes a research assistant position at the University of Washington’s Taskar Centre for Accessible Technology where they investigated the implementation of disability justice frameworks in AI audits and created novel audits on lack of mobility aid presence in 4 urban semantic segmentation datasets.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I want to teach to learn more about Wales after I learned so much in prepping for GTL last year. Further, I want to learn how to teach in a cross-cultural context. I will need to teach in graduate school and want to increase my skill now.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I have experience being a TA and tutor. Additionally, I have relevant research and industry experience from the Data + Feminism Lab, Google, and US Department of Transportation. I went through GTL training last year and feel confident I will be able to prepare for this IAP.

Audrey Cui

Audrey is a Junior at MIT majoring in Computation & Cognition with a Minor in Mechanical Engineering. Her previous teaching experiences include assisting in a Signal Processing Lab explaining concepts and debugging codes, a lab assistant for Electronics for Mechanical Systems, and teaching Mandarin-speaking immigrants English to support them through naturalisation as part of the Harvard Chinatown Citizenship. Audrey also has plenty of research experience including work as a MIT CSAIl Undergraduate Research Assistant, and as a NVIDIA Bioinformatics Intern in which she designed, implemented, and benchmarked semi-supervised and self-supervised learning frameworks.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I owe it to one of my high school teachers for helping me discover my love for computer science, empowering me to use code to make my craziest ideas a reality. I aspire to become a professor for the same reason — I want to build meaningful relationships with my students, share my own love for research and discovery, and inspire them to pursue their biggest dreams.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I’m pretty confident about my own abilities in the subjects I want to teach, as I’ve spent the past two years UROP’ing in a computer vision/deep learning lab and spend a lot of my free time in machine shops and maker spaces. Teaching brings me a lot of joy, so I’m always seeking out teaching-related opportunities and as a result, have gotten a lot of practice with teaching.

Cameron Kokesh

Cameron is a Senior at MIT currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Environment and Sustainability. Her engineering and leadership experience includes being Team Captain of the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT) in which she managed a 60-person, student-run build team tasked with designing, manufacturing, testing, and racing a solar-powered vehicle on a 2,000-mile cross-country race. She was also a  candidate for the MIT Gordon Engineering Leadership Programme (GEL), educational programme focused on transforming engineering leadership to develop technical leaders with the capabilities to address complex real-world engineering challenges. Her teaching experience includes MISTI GTL as a traveling instructor and mentor in Mexico and a virtual instructor for Equal Education Partners in Wales. 

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I love connecting with students and finding what excites them. Education is so impactful and can create new futures. I’d love to bring meaningful experiences to students and inspire them in the ways I was inspired through school.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?A: At MIT, I have further refined my teaching strategies through classes and working with students as a teacher and mentor. Every experience has helped me grow, and I’m excited and enthusiastic about creating an environment and curriculum that would provide an incredible experience for students.

Christina Chen

Christina is a Senior at MIT completing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Computer Science Concentration and a Management Minor. Outside of her studies, she is the MIT class of 2023 Council Vice president and the Vice President of Recruitment at Pi Beta Phi. Her work experience includes her role as a Software Development Engineering Intern at Amazon Web Services where she designed frontend and backend code infrastructure for a GUI, customised to stakeholders and implemented a scalable, configurable query-generating web app to resolve log information. Her teaching experiences include work at Phillips Brooks House Association Chinatown Citizenship where she designed a curriculum and taught the US citizenship test to 8 Chinese senior citizens. Christina has also mentored MIT club members on translation practices based on interpreting experience.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: To empower under-resourced young people with knowledge, so they can choose life paths that they’d enjoy engaging in.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I understand the barriers to entry as a first-generation college student, so I can engage others with similar backgrounds. I possess interdisciplinary knowledge from my class and internship experiences in mechanical and software engineering; enabling me to connect and apply to problem-solving.

Grace Endy

Grace is a Sophomore studying for a Bachelor of Science in Chemical-Biological Engineering. Outside of her studies Grace is a research assistant for the UROP-Conflicts in Renewable Energy where she examines public opposition to utility-scale renewable energy projects in the US, conducts stakeholder interviews and authors research articles and case studies. She is also a Resident Peer Mentor and offers academic and personal guidance to MIT first-year students. Her last work experience was as a Climate Science Intern for the Environmental Defence Fund. Here, her duties included quantifying and comparing energy efficiency of hydrogen and electric technologies and building a renewable energy capacity database for a global sample of nations.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I am passionate about scientific communication, enjoy interpersonal interaction and wish to spread knowledge of topics of interest to learners. 

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I am a very confident public speaker and enjoyed helping my friend with PSETs. I also created educational videos for KIF1A.ORG in 2020-2021.

Max Tan

Max is a Sophomore at MIT studying a Double Major in Physics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He worked as an Undergraduate Researcher for Quantum Computation Electronics Research where he tested cryogenic design of coupling superconducting qubits with a novel quarton to improve qubit-resonator readout. He was also an Undergraduate Researcher for Biophysics Research in MIT’s Fakhri Lab where he developing an unsupervised deep neural network to learn reproducible and interpretable representations of active matter systems. Outside of his studies his interests include performing arts and debating, he is the Principal Cellist in MIT Symphony Orchestra, an avid coffeehouse performer and co-founded a debate programme to teach local school students impromptu debate skills.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: In just a few weeks, I hope to inspire young people more than anything else. I want students to start seeing STEM not just as a set of boring math equations, but a subject that excites and stimulates the mind. I also hope to form lasting connections with the students I teach crossing the cultural and language boundary.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: One of my strengths is being able to break down more mathematical ideas (i.e. in physics) and explain them in a simpler and more easy-to-understand manner. As a student researcher, I can underscore the importance of problem-solving and creativity. I also have much Debate and Public Speaking from all of my high school experience that I hope to impart. I’m mostly motivated by the energy and enthusiasm I’ve learned to bring to teaching over the years!

Melissa Hill

Melissa is a Senior currently studying for a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies & Planning and Management. Melissa has a range of teaching experience; she worked for the MIT Department of Urban Studies & Planning, supporting the instructor's delivery of statistics curriculum by co-leading recitation and hosting office hours covering principles of quantitative reasoning and R programming. She also participated in the MIT Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme in 2022 as a remote instructor where she planned and taught lessons for secondary school students in collaboration with host schools. She also interned for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where she led the development of an engagement programme focused on building a talent pool, engaging employees in philanthropic giving and leveraging resources to grow US Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy programme.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I want to empower students to build the futures they want and to carry out meaningful projects. I embrace the responsibility of guiding students as they develop as critical thinkers.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I have developed my teaching skill set through participating in last year’s programme and teaching MIT students and adults in the community. Beyond and throughout these experiences, I have kindled a passion for doing what I can to support students, even if that means changing direction quickly.

Morgan Mayborne

Morgan is a Senior at MIT currently completing his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Morgan is the Project C Founder of the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund where he developed skills in project ownership, design iteration, and market analysis by guiding a project idea through the initial phases of entrepreneurship. His teaching experience includes teaching assistant at the Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Programme where he assisted in class organisation and assignment grading for the Engineering Leadership course and provided curriculum suggestions for the class’s instructor, based on personal and student feedback. He was also on the Executive Board for DynaMIT as Chemistry Curriculum Lead & Student Relations Lead where he recruited and mentored local marginalised students in the Boston area, fostering interest in STEM professions through planning program curricula and activities for students.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: My teachers developed me into the person I am today. Teaching is a powerful way to provide students with a new lens through which to view the world. I want to be able to provide that new lens to students by introducing or reinforcing concepts that have become vital to my career.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I have participated in DynaMIT throughout my entire time at MIT. I developed and taught the chemistry day for the STEM programme, teaching the local students about chemistry principles through a self-developed curriculum. DynaMIT has given me an introduction in curriculum development and thinking about the students in lesson planning. I’m also excited just to be around budding students on a daily basis!

Sarah Hernandez

Sarah is a Sophomore studying for her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Her leadership and previous work experience include work at the Terrascope Learning Community in which Sarah was an Undergraduate Teaching Fellow, Associate Advisor, and Student Sustainability Coalition Rep. In this role she developed a comprehensive proposal to improve the sustainability of global freight transportation while considering economics and equity, produced a website and instructed and supported students in 12.000 – the Solving Complex Problems course at MIT. She was also a First-Year Pre-Orientation Programme Counsellor for the MIT Energy Initiative where she would facilitate an introduction to academic and career opportunities within the clean energy sector for incoming MIT students.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: To practice communication and interpersonal skills to best help students learn. Also, to inspire students to consider careers in STEM, specifically within the energy/climate sphere and gain confidence in the content taught in classes.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I am patient and have an understanding demeanour, passionate and enthusiastic about subject matters and coming from a multicultural background (Puerto Rican and Pakistani) I am comfortable with crossing lines of difference.

Shinjini Ghosh

Shinjini is completing a Master's in Engineering in Computer Science with an Artificial Intelligence concentration at MIT. She recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering and Linguistics, with a Minor in Math. Shinjini has interned at Hudson River Trading New York as an Algorithm Developer Intern, at Tower Research Capital New York as a Quantitative Trading Intern and at D.E. Shaw & Co. New York as a Quantitative Research Intern. Shinjini also works as an Undergraduate Researcher for the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab and at MIT Linguistics as an Undergraduate Researcher. Outside of her studies, she is a Student Ambassador for MIT, President of Student Alumni Association, an Executive Member of Women in EECS and a member of the Undergraduate Society for Women in Mathematics.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: I love being able to impart and share my knowledge with others, and hopefully inspire the next generation. I also believe that teaching helps the teacher increase their own knowledge of the subject matter at hand through meaningful discussions with students. I enjoy spending time designing class materials and helping students.

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I love engaging in passionate discussions with students, and being able to guide them in the right direction with well-timed and precise directions. It excites me to see them be able to figure out the rest and carry on from there, and to be able to share my love for the subjects with them.

Zoe Gotthald

Zoe is a Junior at MIT doing her Bachelor of Science with a Major in Computer Science and Molecular Biology with Focus on Pandemic Prevention. Her work experience includes a Research Internship in Microbiome Analysis and working as a Computer Science Tutor in MIT’S Women in Technology Programme. Zoe has worked as a Teaching Assistant in Computer Science at MIT, and a Teaching Assistant fr Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations through MIT’s Experimental Study Group, focused on student-student learning. Zoe has volunteered at numerous organisations including MIT SHINE where she was a Mathematics teacher and mentor for girls and non-binary students (grades 5 and 6) in weekly tutoring sessions, MIT Medlinks as a peer health advisor and a music service group called Ribotones where she did Bassoonist recording and editing chamber pieces for virtual and in-person concerts in nursing homes.

Q: Why do you want to teach?

A: We need more scientists, and especially scientists from diverse backgrounds. That doesn’t start in college: it starts when children are excited about science. I want to share my own excitement of research with these students!

Q: Why would you work well as a GTL in Wales instructor?

A: I have teaching experience, love working with students and am incredibly passionate about computational biology. My goal is to spread the joy of science.