OLGA is a future physician. She is currently a second-year medical student at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. She graduated from Brooklyn College’s coordinated BA/MD program with a double major in Sociology and Chemistry with a minor in Biochemistry. Olga’s current coursework includes histology, medical anatomy, physiology, pathology, radiology, preceptorship, medical ethics, and biostatistics. Olga is also involved in the peer health and wellness club, medical education club, and the medical equity organization. In addition to her required coursework, Olga is researching the compact of online education following Covid-19. Furthermore, she is doing clinical research in the Department of Cell Biology at SUNY Downstate. All of the high school and college courses she took allowed her to apply her knowledge and score a 521 on the MCAT (out of 528).
Olga graduated from Staten Island Technical, a Specialized High School, with a 4.0 GPA. Olga scored a 650 on the SHSAT, placing into Stuyvesant, but chose SIT because it was s a better fit and much closer to home. She scored a 2300/2400 on the old version of the SAT and in the 99th percentile for the following subject tests: Biology, Math II, and US History. During her time in high school, she took the following AP courses, scoring a 5 on every AP test: AP World History, AP US History, AP Language & Composition, AP BC Calculus, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Russian Language.
Olga also took College-Level psychology, sociology, and political science through her specialized high school’s College Now program, which partnered with on-campus classes at the College of Staten Island. Olga was part of her high school’s Arista, a branch of the National Honor Society. She was part of the Russian club, the Filipino Club, danced in her school’s multicultural festivals, and served as the president of the Do-Something Club, a not-for-profit exclusively for young people and social change.
Her academic successes in high school were complimented by her deep involvement in student life and cultural organizations. Olga danced in the multicultural festival four years in a row, founded three clubs, volunteered in a soup kitchen across boroughs, and invested her time learning about a career in medicine that included shadowing several physicians.
In her senior year, she received acceptance to many prestigious colleges and universities. Still, she decided to enter the BAMD program at Brooklyn College because she was admitted into the Macaulay Honors Program, which provided a full four-year scholarship, along with a $7,500 fund for study abroad opportunities, a new MacBook, and other incentives. During her college career, Olga fostered her passion for both the physical and social sciences while simultaneously interweaving writing-intensive courses to develop her skills as an academic writer. She serves as a head writer on a participatory action research team advocating for immigrant health in NYC, something she cares greatly about.
Olga has been tutoring for over five years. She has a deep passion for teaching. Olga is a child of immigrants and navigated much of the American school system on her own. Given her detailed academic journey, she understands firsthand the anxieties involved in preparing for standardized exams and the importance of tailoring the curriculum to every student’s personal learning style. She is there for her students as more than just a tutor, but as a mentor. Olga is good friends with fellow longtime tutor Marianna, and they are in the same BA/MD program together.
We are honored to have Olga as a SHSAT instructor and frequent webinar host at Kweller Prep. Olga has tutored students in-person at Kweller Queens, Manhattan, and via zoom online. We greatly enjoy her highly organized notes and excellent command of digital technology to enhance her ever-so-colorful lessons. She adapted to Kweller’s online learning program seamlessly and has served as a mentor for other staff members navigating the best tools to teach online. Olga is fluent in Russian and proficient in Spanish. In Olga’s free time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, and spending time with friends and family.