Personal Description:

My name is Julien, I grew up in Ajax, Ontario, where I went through Kindergarten to Grade 12 in French Immersion. In 2009, I completed an Undergraduate degree in Geomatics Engineering at York University. I finished my degree with a passion to learn more and to share what I’ve learned with others, which lead me into graduate school. While completing a Masters of Science and PhD, I took more advanced STEM classes and became an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant.

During my PhD I co-founded tech startup in 2014. We were commercializing my PhD research, which I believe is valuable exercise that every PhD student should experience, as opposed to working on a thesis project for 4 years, only to have your hard work sit on a bookshelf collecting dust.

I currently work as a Computer Vision Engineer for Autonomous Vehicles. My work experience has shown me the importance of “Starting with Why” when teaching a concept. During my schooling, I’ve gone many a time, asking myself why do I have to learn this boring subject, only to realize its application some years later. This experience has also made me big believer in learning by example.

Tutoring Experience:

As a Teaching Assistant at York University for 8 years, I’ve taught classes ranging in size from 3 to 30 students. I’ve taught STEM subjects to students at various levels of difficulty, from non-science majors, to science and engineering majors, to graduate students. It was during this time that I started tutoring, as students often requested regular one-on-one sessions after having me as a Teaching Assistant.

I’ve been tutoring for 4 year. I’ve tutored and mentored students from the Elementary Cchool level to University, in subjects taught in English and French, such as Geography, History, French, Math, and Science.

Tutoring Approach:

I am proficient in explaining concepts in a simple manner and providing examples that deepen understanding. I can also identify when a student does not fully grasp a concept, and detect when I lose a student in a lesson and have to back up, slow down, or change my teaching approach.

In my experience, students experience difficult transitions going from Grade 8 Math to Grade 9 Math, then from Grade 12 Math to First Year Math in University. I especially enjoy preparing students for these transitions so they do not experience this traumatic shock.