Meet the Team at Mathnasium of South Costa Mesa

Nick van Vliet

Nick graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business Finance from Cal State University Northridge. He first joined the Mathnasium team in 2014 after learning about the impact that Mathnasium was making in students' lives. After working as the Center Director in Irvine for 2 years, in Diamond Bar 3 years, and in Santa Clarita for 1 year, he moved into an operations role and currently oversees 5 Mathnasium centers. He is committed to creating an encouraging environment where students can build confidence and conquer math while still having fun. His goal is to ensure that students have an effective, engaging, and encouraging learning experience that cultivates an intuitive understanding of math. Nick loves teaching, coaching, and encouraging students to work hard and rise up to their potential. In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, competing in any game known to man, bbqs, and reading.

Robin Nguyen

Robin, a UCSD graduate with degrees in Math, Computer Science, and Psychology, has a deep love of tutoring at Mathnasium. His personal goal is to someday be able to inspire his students as a teacher. Robin’s outside interests include writing, chess, walking, and reading.

David Nguyen

David has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and a Master’s degree in education from the University of California, Irvine. He intends to become a high school math and science teacher to pass his love of the subjects on to his students. In his free time, David enjoys reading, math puzzles, gaming, and martial arts.

Kelsie Bui

Kelsie is a quantitative economics major and an actuarial science prospect. She enjoys mathematics and uses it to assess risk. In her leisure time, she enjoys playing video games, reading books, and creating art.

Anthony Guggia

Anthony is currently a student at Orange Coast College, majoring in mathematics. He plans to teach mathematics in college after he graduates. Anthony enjoys chess, learning, and spending time with his friends.

Evan Herdrich

Evan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a minor in Chinese. He aspires to become a teacher in the future. In his leisure time, he organizes a chess club, paints, and writes poetry.

Kayla Friedland

Kayla is a current student at Orange Coast College majoring in Psychology. Her plan is to transfer to a four-year university. She derives great joy from helping others reach their goals. She enjoys playing tennis, pickleball, and socializing with friends.

Lori Kim (Retired)

I was the Center Director at Mathnasium of South Costa Mesa. Prior to opening the Mathnasium Center, I have worked in finance and commercial real estate. I received my BA in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. I started this Mathnasium journey when I first discovered that my second child was struggling in math but didn't want help from her own mother. I enrolled her in a local Mathnasium and found the Mathnasium Method to be critical in my daughter's foundational understanding of math. Witnessing this in my own child I am passionate about teaching other children of all ages how to make math make sense. I believe every child has the ability to be successful in math and would like to extend our program to the community of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.