PrepNow Tutor - Sriram I.
Sriram’s talents are many—spanning mechanical engineering, information technology, and music production. He is an effective communicator due to both his speaking and active listening skills. Sriram attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a BS in mechanical engineering. Sriram is currently pursuing a Master's in Adolescent Education at Pace University. While attending university, he worked for an engineering consulting firm providing analysis to US-based aviation and aerospace clients. After college, he provided data migration solutions as a consultant to Enterprise Resource Planning organizations. Sriram currently teaches Financial Literacy, Algebra II and AP Calculus AB in a high school in Brooklyn.
In third grade, Sriram knew he wanted to be a teacher. His first taste of teaching came in middle school when he served as a debate coach to younger students in debate club. It was there that he fell in love with the experience of discovering something new and then realized that he was capable of inspiring that same feeling in others. The encounter solidified his drive to teach, and that passion has accompanied him through all his teaching pursuits. In 2014, Sriram began formally tutoring in his college tutoring center. There he worked with students on everything from writing to physics to calculus. He continued that work after university, assisting students working through upper-division mechanical engineering courses, namely dynamics of rigid bodies, mechanics of deformable bodies, and system dynamics. In 2020, he started tutoring SAT prep.
As a teacher, Sriram’s style is a two-pronged approach. The first prong emphasizes listening and understanding. The second is based on targeted, mindful practice. This method is derived from watching his own teachers and finding ways to emulate and improve upon the qualities that he admires. “I usually focus on asking students questions to test the strength of their fundamental understandings, as I have noticed that faults in foundations are often the root of academic weaknesses,” Sriram explains. He feels passionately that a teacher’s job “can only be done effectively if students do not feel judged.” This is because judgment activates the fight-or-flight response and can “prevent them from truly learning and internalizing a new way of thinking.”
Sriram is a musician and a music fan. He played violin in the orchestra as a high school student. Today, he plays guitar and bass guitar. He loves going to concerts. As a music producer, he has produced tracks that have been played millions of times!
In college, Sriram was involved in Formula SAE where he helped build a Formula-style race car for competition. He was also involved in the university student mental health coalition. He loves to read, play chess, learn languages, and travel. Sriram is currently learning to speak Italian in preparation for an upcoming trip to Italy and Greece.
