Courtney Cleary has been involved in teaching and mentoring since high school. Her passion for teaching initially began in high school tutoring for the ACT. This progressed to becoming an organic and general chemistry tutor for 4 years at her undergraduate university where she was promoted to Lead Tutor and Training Supervisor. Her love of teaching extended into medical school where she continued to tutor students in pre-clinical subjects, shelf exams, USMLE Step 1, and USMLE Step 2.

Courtney’s tutoring skills include adaptive teaching to various learning styles, creating study schedules, important test taking skills, time management, and effective work-life balance. While exceptional scores to do not indicate an exceptional tutor, Courtney’s academic success on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 with scores of 256 and 267 respectively, Alpha Omega Alpha, all pre-clinical honors, and all clinical honors demonstrate her broad medical knowledge. Her ability to individualize the learning experience, explain complex topics in simple ways, and provide reasonable yet effective study schedules that accommodate work-life balance are just a few of her strengths.
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In her free time, Courtney enjoys walking her dogs, spending time with friends, and hiking. She loves the outdoors and spends as much time outside as she can. She is described by her peers as calm, outgoing, and positive. Overall, Courtney has enjoyed helping students find academic success over the years and is excited to continue doing so with Medical School Partners.

Vivian Jin, MS is a fourth year medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has an academic interest in global health and medical humanities and received a Master’s in Medical Anthropology from the University of Oxford. Vivian is so excited to share the skills and knowledge she has acquired in medical school thus far with her students! Her mentorship style is energetic and encouraging. She believes everyone has their own unique and optimal way in understanding material, and her goal is to identify and personalize each session to one’s individual strengths.
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Vivian is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and is among the first quartile of her medical school class, receiving honors in six out of seven core clerkships and all of her fourth year rotations thus far. She is a top percentile USMLE scorer as demonstrated by her recent 260+ score on USMLE Step 2. As someone who often finds test taking to be daunting, she understands how mentally challenging this process can be. Vivian hopes to help others navigate test taking strategies and gain confidence in honing their studying style. She finds visualization and teach-back methods in particular to be engaging and effective.
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Outside of medicine, Vivian loves to read contemporary & science fiction, do yoga, play Settlers of Catan with friends, and explore Chicago’s indie and electronic music scene. She is eager to join this stellar team of tutors and work with students to recognize their full potential.

Jackson Harvey has extensive teaching experience across a variety of disciplines. Jackson’s passion for teaching first started in high school when he spent time instructing youth baseball pitchers at local camps. He carried his interest in teaching over to college where he was an Organic Chemistry teaching assistant for two years and an independent tutor for the MCAT. In medical school, Jackson has worked as a Peer Educator Program Tutor for the University of Illinois College of Medicine and has independently tutored students in preparation for the clinical shelf exams and USMLE Step exams.

Jackson is in the top quartile of his medical school class, receiving honors in 5/7 core clerkships and honoring all other rotations. Additionally, his strong work ethic led to academic success on the USMLE Step exams, scoring 254 on USMLE Step 1 and 268 on USMLE Step 2 CK. Jackson prides himself on being able to help students see problems from different perspectives. He is able to teach complex concepts in a simple and easy to remember fashion. Jackson understands every student has different strengths and weaknesses and tailors individualized study plans to meet the personal needs of each learner. He truly believes all students have the ability to be successful and he is excited to guide his students through the process.

In his free time, Jackson enjoys participating in running, golf, intramural sports, & hiking/camping. He also prioritizes spending time with family, friends, and his significant other, Paige. He is described by his former students as patient, reliable, and knowledgeable.

Ryan Chiu was born and raised in Chicago, IL and its surrounding suburbs. He attended both college and medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago as part of the GPPA (Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions) accelerated 7-year BS/MD program, receiving dual undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and Political Science prior to graduating with honors from medical school.

Ryan is an inductee of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society. Through his strong work ethic, Ryan scored a 257 on USMLE Step 1 and a 259 on USMLE Step 2 CK. Ryan has also completed and passed USMLE Step 3.

In 2020, He was named by the American Medical Association as a "Physician of Tomorrow", in recognition of his dedication to clinical and academic excellence, empathy in patient care, medical innovation, research, and health advocacy work.

He remains an active member of the American Medical Association, and served as Chair of the Illinois State Medical Society’s medical student section prior to coming to Dallas to begin his neurosurgical training at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2021.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys road trips and travelling, exploring the restaurant scene, as well as playing chess and other board games.

Michael Fritz attended the University of Kentucky where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. He continued his medical school training at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine where he used his extensive teaching experience to mentor others through his involvement in the Physician Student Mentored Fellowship Program, as an Academic Tutor at the college of medicine, and through serving as Mentor through the "White Coat Buddy" program. Mike has experience working with students in all facets of medical education from pre-medical and MCAT to all USMLE exams (Step 1, Step 2, & Step 3), preparation for the clinical shelf exams, as well as matching into a highly competitive Dermatology residency.

Michael has completed his intern year within the Department of Internal Medicine at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. He will continue his training in the Department of Dermatology at Indiana University in Indianapolis, IN. His strong work ethic and dedication led to academic success on the USMLE Step exams, scoring 250 on USMLE Step 1 and 266 on USMLE Step 2 CK, and 253 on USMLE Step 3. Numerous students who have worked with Michael describe him as an individual that "goes above and beyond" helping students not only on their exams, but helping guide them to important resources, research opportunities, teaching them to network within the medical field, and ultimately set them up for success.

In his free time, Mike enjoys playing the guitar, weight training, going golfing, snowboarding, cooking new recipes, coffee, and hiking.

Alexis Strahan is a fourth-year medical student with a passion for medical education, teaching, and mentorship! Her unique background as a nurse practitioner gives her extra practice with excelling on those tricky standardized examinations having taken the GRE, NCLEX, AANP national board certification, MCAT, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 over the years. She has a long history of teaching in a variety of settings as a guest lecturer for Physician Assistant programs and a preceptor for nursing and PA school graduates both domestically and internationally.

During her time in medical school, she was an Academic Success counselor for pre-clinical subjects and co-directed her school’s USMLE Step 1 curriculum. Her teaching approach is one that is highly curated to each learner, as she believes each person comes with unique learning styles and content needs. She is well-versed in creating in-depth study schedules, helping identify the highest yield resources, making ANKI work for you, and harnessing the value of audio and visual learning. Her well-rounded approach to studying helped her attain a 260+ on USMLE Step 1 and 275+ on USMLE Step 2. She scored in the top percentile on all of her shelf exams, placing her in the top quartile in her class for each clerkship. She was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society as a 3rd year student, Pi Kappa Phi (top 10%) and Gold Humanism Honor Society.

She is a big proponent of not just content mastery, but test-taking strategies. Rest assured she will help you learn to outsmart those question writers! In her free time, Alexis loves planning her next adventure with her husband Jack and golden retriever Magnolia. She is a candy-fanatic and Taylor Swift super fan. Her infectious positivity, long track record of high-level performance, and supportive tutoring style will help you gain the confidence you need to feel and perform your best come test day.

Alexis Saunders has an interest for teaching driven by a passion for both medicine and education. Alexis began her academic journey in college where she pursued a major in neuroscience and graduated summa cum laude. Throughout her undergraduate years, she served as a Supplemental Instructor, Lab Instructor, and Biology Department tutor, helping her peers navigate the intricacies of their coursework.

Alexis continued her medical education at SUNY Upstate Norton College of Medicine. She scored a 240+ on USMLE Step 1 and an exceptional 270+ on USMLE Step 2 CK. While in medical school she served as a tutor to her peers and learned the importance of test-taking skills that are necessary for medical school style board exams. She has independently tutored students in preparation for the clinical shelf exams and USMLE Step exams and has helped many students reach their STEP 1, STEP 2 and shelf exam academic goals. She believes that the mentor/mentee and tutor/tutee relationship is key in guiding students throughout their medical education. Alexis is an inductee of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and also served as the president for the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) in medical school.

Alexis is starting her residency as an Emergency Medicine resident at SUNY Upstate. With a passion for medical education, her clinical interests include tactical medicine and medical education podcasting. Beyond her medical and educational pursuits, Alexis understands the significance of maintaining a balanced and fulfilling life. In her leisure time, she likes to spend time with her significant other, pets, playing board games, listening to podcasts and HIIT workouts (Peloton and OTF).

Mia Andreoli was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and attended both college and medical school at Northwestern University. She has a variety of teaching and mentoring experience, and enjoys helping students achieve their academic goals.

During her undergraduate years, she served as a teaching assistant for Biology Laboratory courses. In medical school, she provided tutoring to students in the preclinical courses who were identified by faculty as needing extra support. Mia also has mentored premedical students as a Feinberg Tour Guide & Student Ambassador and through the NLVS Mentorship Program.

Mia is now in her fourth year of medical school and has excelled in her clinical clerkships. She passed the USMLE STEP 1 exam and scored a 268 on the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. As a tutor, Mia’s primary objective is to help students create study schedules, develop their test taking skills, understand challenging concepts, and build their testing confidence. Mia recognizes that each student has a unique learning style and hopes to adapt each session to suit their individual needs.

Outside of school, Mia enjoys running on the lakefront, playing water polo, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.

Christina (Tina) Shehata is originally from Orland Park, Illinois and is currently a 4th-year medical student at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. She studied Neuroscience and Science in Human Culture at Northwestern University for her undergraduate studies. Before medical school, she also did a research year at the National Institutes of Health. As a student who has successfully passed Step 1 on her first attempt and has achieved a top percentile 270+ score on Step 2 CK, Tina is equipped to help any student with their preparation for medical school exams.
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Driven by her passion for teaching and mentoring, Tina has accumulated extensive tutoring experience at the high school, undergraduate, and medical students level. Tina believes that tutoring should be an individualized experience, where she combines evidence-based learning techniques with a deep understanding of her students' learning styles. By utilizing a combination of interactive question-solving sessions, real-life connections to medical concepts, and teach-back exercises, Tina instills confidence in her students and equips them with the necessary skills to excel on exams.

As an enthusiastic and dedicated tutor, Tina is committed to creating a supportive learning environment that fosters growth and empowers her students. She firmly believes that education is a collaborative journey, and she takes pride in facilitating her students' academic achievements by providing personalized attention and guidance.
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In her free time, Tina likes to take walks in Chicago, particularly along Lake Michigan and by the Chicago River. She is also captain of a competitive skeeball team, which she hopes she can take to the playoffs this year. She also plays the violin in the Northwestern Medical Orchestra.

Harsha Voleti has been passionate about teaching and mentorship throughout his education and career. He has had extensive experience tutoring students in college and medical school and loves to see his students and mentees learn, grow, and ultimately reach their potential. He believes in a simple yet personalized approach to studying, exam preparation, and career guidance. In addition to content mastery, he emphasizes developing excellent study habits and test-taking strategies.

He deeply values mentorship and enjoys fostering mentor-mentee relationships, ultimately helping mentees with networking, research, and connecting them with the right resources for long-term success. He strongly believes in “paying it forward,” as he is grateful to the numerous mentors and teachers who have helped him throughout his life. Most importantly, he is receptive to feedback and is always seeking ways to improve his tutoring and mentorship approach. Through his work ethic, resourcefulness, and dedication, Harsha scored a 266 on USMLE STEP 1, 272 on USMLE STEP 2, and 251 on USMLE STEP 3. He was ranked tenth and in the top quartile of his medical school class and was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha membership. He has worked with many premedical and medical students preparing for the MCAT, USMLE exams (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3), and clerkship shelf exams. In addition, Harsha has helped dozens of medical students as well as several previously unmatched students match into competitive programs in diagnostic and interventional radiology.

Harsha is from Cincinnati, OH and completed a 6 year BS/MD program at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He completed his preliminary internal medicine year at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. He is currently a diagnostic radiology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. In his free time, Harsha enjoys football, soccer, golf, road cycling, hiking, reading, podcasts, and passionately following Cincinnati sports.

Samantha Holmes Seward attended the University of Indianapolis where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She then went on to attend Indiana University School of Medicine and obtained her Medical Doctorate degree.

Samantha has always enjoyed teaching and mentoring. During her undergraduate studies, she tutored fellow classmates in Biology and Chemistry. During medical school she helped to tutor and mentor pre-medical students throughout the process of MCAT preparation and medical school applications.

Additionally, as a former Division-II cross country and track and field athlete, Samantha has experience with coaching. She credits her strong work ethic, excellent time management skills, and ability to receive and deliver insightful and constructive feedback to her background in collegiate athletics.

During her medical school career, Samantha honored all third-year clinical rotations, was awarded the Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She is a top performer on all USMLE Step exams, scoring a 257 on Step 1 & 266 on Step 2 CK. Samantha ultimately matched at her first choice for Dermatology residency at Indiana University School of Medicine, and recently completed her preliminary medicine intern year at IU.

Samantha is excited for the opportunity to work with medical students on their journey towards matching into their own dream residency programs. In her free time, Samantha enjoys spending time with her husband, running, cooking vegetarian/vegan recipes, and playing with her two cats.

Erick Masias grew up in Chicago and attended Middlebury College in Vermont for his undergraduate studies. After two years working of at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, he moved back to Chicago for medical school at Northwestern University. Throughout his years in medical school, he has served as a mentor to many premedical students as they prepared to apply to medical school. Throughout his time in medical school, he has offered guidance to younger students as they navigate the abundant resources and overwhelming amount of information in the preclinical years.

Erick completed his third year of medical school and is on a fully funded research year through a fellowship program at Northwestern. After passing the USMLE STEP 1 exam but struggling with his first few shelf exams, he retooled his test taking approach and scored in the 260s on the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. Having struggled with standardized test taking strategies previously, Erick’s goal as a tutor is to emphasize growth mindset with his students to achieve their goals.

Through his own journey to a top USMLE score, he understands that with the right schedules, approach to difficult question stems, and patience, anyone can achieve their dream score. With that in mind, he recognizes that each student will come in with different existing approaches, and he will adapt to best augment a student’s existing learning style to meet the needs of all his students.

Outside of medicine, Erick is a musician that plays gigs at local farmers markets, as well as with a cover band that plays all your favorite dance floor hits. He loves playing spike ball, riding his bike on the lake front, and recently started birdwatching on his gap year.

Perry Lim is a rising fourth-year medical student at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. He studied Chemistry at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with summa cum laude honors and was named one of the Top 100 Seniors. He is currently taking a research year as an orthopedic clinical research fellow in arthroplasty at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and in spine at the University of California San Francisco.
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Throughout his professional basketball career on the Malaysian Men’s National Basketball team, he reinforced numerous skills in coaching and effective communication, which have proven to be invaluable when helping students shine in their rotations and shelf exams.

Perry finished his first two years of medical school with a Distinction in the Basic Sciences and honored 7/8 clerkship rotations. He successfully passed USMLE Step 1 on his first attempt and accomplished a top percentile 260+ score on Step 2 CK. In addition, he is an inductee of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and served as the President of his student body in medical school.

Perry has tutored and mentored students at every level of his education throughout high school undergrad, and medical school. His tutoring philosophy is an alternation of two strategies: 1) building a foundation of knowledge through consistent effort and various learning styles and 2) bombarding the foundation with questions and assessments to fill in the gaps. Previous tutees have described him as “enthusiastic”, “insightful", and collaborative with his “rapid fire” method of tutoring. 

In his free time, Perry loves trying a new type of cuisine weekly, partaking in any sports with a ball (i.e. basketball, volleyball, or pickleball), and baking sweet desserts. He also prioritizes spending quality time with friends, family, and his Finnish partner, Laura.

Marina Aweeda is from Queens, NY and is currently completing an Otolaryngology Research Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center before her final year at the Sophie Davis/CUNY School of Medicine BS/MD program.

She describes her mentoring style as interactive, energetic, and dynamic. Marina’s love for teaching led her to become a Clinical Anatomy teaching assistant at her medical school as well as a peer tutor in pre-clinical subjects, shelf exams, and USMLE Step 1.

Through her experience as someone who successfully passed USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt, 90th+ percentile scorer on USMLE Step 2 CK, and someone who has honored every clinical medical school rotation, Marina has developed her motto: “a little bit each day.” She understands how overwhelming standardized exams can be and believes in breaking it down into small, feasible tasks that every student can achieve.

Marina enjoys connecting with students on both a professional and personal level, eager to understand what motivates them and what specific goals they hope to achieve. She appreciates that her own mentors played a crucial role in her success and hopes to pay this forward by using everything she’s learned to mentor students on their academic journey.

In her free time, Marina enjoys working out, playing sports with her brothers, reading romance novels, and spending time with her friends and family. She can be counted on for her excellent time management skills (down to the minute!), motivational teaching style, and easy-going demeanor that provides students with a judgement-free zone to grow.

Sam Schellenberg is from Grand Rapids, MI and studied biochemistry at Calvin University. He is now a fourth-year medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, pursuing a career in internal medicine. Sam has a long-held interest in teaching, coaching, and mentoring. Driven by a strong desire to see others grow and succeed, his previous roles have included standardized test tutor, refugee youth mentor, prison education tutor, and high school baseball coach.

In medical school, he has tutored problem-based learning for junior medical students and serves as Chief of his Education-Centered Medical Home, a longitudinal student-led clinic. He enjoys clinical reasoning and learning from his patients and was honored to be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

He approached USMLE exams as an opportunity to consolidate his knowledge, passing Step 1 and scoring 270+ on Step 2 CK. As a tutor, Sam works to help each student realize their full potential. He understands the importance of building an intentional study schedule and monitoring progress objectively. He seeks to help his students target their weakest areas. Ultimately, he believes building pattern recognition skills through question-based learning is the most powerful method to achieve a top score on clinical exams. Finally, he dedicates some of his tutoring efforts to helping his students develop the mental framework and stamina to approach test days with confidence.

Outside of medicine, Sam loses track of time while playing guitar and piano. He also enjoys spending time outdoors (anything from hiking to kayaking to golfing) with his wife, friends, and family.

Joe Bianco is a third year medical student at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. He just finished studying extensively for USMLE STEP1 and passed on his first attempt, so all his science knowledge and familiarity with standardized testing questions is as up-to-date as it gets. Joe studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated with honors. He worked as a hardware engineer for Northrop Grumman and spent a year doing neuroscience research at Feinberg School of Medicine before applying to medical school.

As a non-traditional applicant, Joe is an excellent person to talk to about the application process as he has helped many friends and mentees with application strategies. Joe has a strong passion for teaching and mentoring, with skills that have been honed through tutoring students for the ACT, MCAT, and USMLE with Med School Partners LLC and School on Wheels. He also was a teaching assistant for engineering labs in undergrad. His tutoring style is marked by a patient and encouraging approach, tailored to each student's individual needs. As Joe puts it: “adaptability is the most important skill a tutor can have. Everyone learns at a different pace and with a preferred style. It is my job to adapt and optimize each session, as quickly as possible, for the most successful tutoring experience.” Joe believes in setting smart goals and fostering a supportive learning environment. He is adamant that standardized testing is a skill that everyone can improve on with the right guidance and time.

In his free time, Joe loves to immerse himself in music and play guitar. He volunteers with Heartbeats, an organization that plays live music for patients in the pediatric hospital and for school events. He also finds joy in staying active through indoor and beach volleyball leagues and rock climbing at the local Chicago gym.

Michelle Guo grew up in the Bay Area and completed her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, where she enjoyed tutoring STEM subjects and French through the Academic Support office and Northwestern University Athletics. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in French and continued on to work in clinical trials for peripheral artery disease during her gap year.

Michelle is currently a fourth-year medical student at the Feinberg School of Medicine, having completed all her core clinical clerkships with honors. She passed the USMLE Step 1 exam on her first attempt and scored in the 100th percentile on Step 2 CK with a score of 279.

Michelle’s focus as a tutor is building students’ confidence, tailoring the test preparation process to individual learning styles, and ensuring adequate time for rest. She believes that studying for boards exams can feel empowering (even fun!) when approached from the perspective of better caring for patients.

A Chicago lover through-and-through, Michelle enjoys picnics in the park, beach days on Lake Michigan, attending concerts, and figure skating at the Blackhawks practice rink.