Meet Breakthrough Tutoring’s Team!
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SAT/ACT prep
ISEE prep
ELA and Writing
Social studies
Math (through Algebra I)
Science
Spanish & Italian
Executive function coaching
Academic and career advising
Rachel Arky, Founder & Director
I have always been passionate about education and working one on one with students of all ages and backgrounds. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University, received my Master’s in Music from Manhattan School of Music, and went on to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising through the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). I bring 13 years of experience as a tutor, adviser, mentor, educator, and administrator to Breakthrough. During that time, I have worked with 200+ K-12 students in diverse subjects, designing and implementing individualized syllabi and adapting lessons to the specific needs of students. I also have experience working in college access and higher education, and understand the challenges that students face at all of the major inflection points of their academic lives.
My approach to tutoring and advising is strengths-based. I meet students where they are, build on the strengths they already have, and work together to come up with a rigorous yet attainable plan for meeting their goals. I believe in hard work, encouragement, a growth mindset, and perseverance.
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AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Statistics
AP Microeconomics
AP Chemistry
Pre-calculus
Algebra
Geometry
Pre-algebra
SAT and ACT
Josh Arky, Tutor
I love teaching, and I have been teaching professionally in classroom, small group, and one-on-one settings for the past decade. After finishing my B.A. in Sustainable Development from Columbia University, I spent the next years performing opera around the country. Along the way, I earned a M.M. in Classical Voice from Manhattan School of Music. I stopped performing as a soloist in 2022, moved to Germany, and earned a M.Sc. in Integrated Natural Resource Management from Humboldt University in Berlin. I am currently earning my California teaching credential, with the aim of teaching high school math.
I have discovered over the years that my background in the performing arts and interdisciplinary studies has helped me to communicate complex problems with clarity and enthusiasm, aiding learners across a wide spectrum of experience- and skill-level. My specialty is in bringing the abstract to life, blending analytical precision with artistic communication.
I model my teaching off those teachers who have inspired me to follow my curiosity, express myself, and connect the many faces of artistic and scientific knowledge. I strive, always, to bridge the knowledge gap, but also to equip my students with the learning tools they need to feel confident and courageous in the face of unknowing.