Meet the Team at Mathnasium of South Pasadena

Jonathan Hughey

I went to school at the University of Oregon and I majored in Economics. At Mathnasuim, I love the fact we help develop students' intellectual skills and curiosity with our unique approach to teaching. In my free time, I like to play games, watch sports, listen to music, and exercise. A fun fact about me is that I served as the president of my fraternity for 2 terms.

Jesse De La Roca

I am currently attending CSULB studying for my Bachelor's in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Animation. At Mathnasium, I love creating a safe and welcoming space for young minds all while helping them improve their math skills. My favorite activities include playing video games, roller skating, and doing puzzles. An interesting fact about me is that I know how to 3D model for video games and play D&D campaigns.

Caitlyn Alegria

I am currently attending PCC but I plan to transfer to CSULB. I am majoring in Electrical Engineering. At Mathnasium, I love that each student gets their own customized learning plan that can help and that we focus on learning and not just completing their work. In my free time, I like playing catch, going to Disneyland, and watching TV and movies. An interesting fact about me is that I have two younger sisters, a dog, and a cat.

Joaquin Phillips

I am in my first year at USC, majoring in Astronautical Engineering. I really love talking about math concepts with kids and helping them understand them, while also getting to know kids and their interests. I love math, but I also like playing video games like Valorant, Overwatch, and Dark Souls, and I like sports like volleyball and swimming. I am also double-jointed in my pinky fingers.

Julianne Wong

I am in my second year at USC film school, studying Media Arts and Practice, with a minor in web development. At Mathnasium, I love that even though I'm here to help students, it still feels like I'm spending time with some good friends. My favorite activities include drawing, speedrunning sudoku, video games, cooking, as well as taking blurry pictures of my food and ugly pictures of my cat. I have a fear of animatronics, so going to Disneyland is essentially picking which ride horrifies me the most.

Mateo Cortes

I currently attend Los Angeles College Prep Academy, and I plan to major in psychology in college. At Mathnasuim, I love the fact that everyone leaves here with a smile. It is an incredibly positive environment. In my free time, I like solving Rubik's cubes and jigsaw puzzles, as well as journaling. I also like sports and have played soccer for over 9 years.

Orrin White

I attended Northeastern University, and I am certified in both Mathematics and Physics. I love the congenial atmosphere at Mathnasium. I like whitewater rafting and wilderness conservation, and I used to work on a lobster boat in Maine.

Michelle Han

I majored in Neuroscience at University of Southern California. At Mathnasium, I love the atmosphere of working together with the students and the team. In my free time, I like drawing, watching Minecraft or D&D series, and making self-improvement plans. An interesting fact about me is that I know how to Juggle.

Lucas DuBria

I currently attend South Pasadena High School, and I plan to major in Wildlife Biology. I love working at Mathnasium because I love to help others with math and it's a nice and friendly environment. In my free time, I play volleyball and work with animals. I also love to go thrifting. One interesting fact about me is that my elbows are double-jointed.

Jeffrey Han

I attended college at USC, majoring in computer science. At Mathnasium, I love the fact that we focus on helping students understand, instead of just focusing on test scores. In my free time, I like building computers, video games, cars, DIY repair, animation taekwondo, tennis, and soccer. An interesting fact about me is that I replaced my own iPhone screen and battery.

Jacob Johnson

School attended: UC Irvine Major: Mathematics What I love about Mathnasium: I think that the incentives are very good at motivating students and I love that instructors have some freedom to adjust to students’ needs. With Mathnasium since: July 2024 Hobbies and interests: I love playing and watching sports. I also enjoy playing puzzle games such as Sudoku and Crosswords. Interesting fact about me: Before going to UC Irvine for my bachelor’s I attended Glendale Community College for my associate’s. Go Vaqueros!

Austin Tong

I graduated from San Marino High School and plan to major in computer science. At Mathnasium, I love meeting new students and making them enjoy math. In my free time, I love to play card games, board games, and any type of party games. An interesting fact about me is that I love working with statistics.

Deniz Ringo

I majoring in Mathematics at Pasadena City College. At Mathnasium, I love how we develop student's love for mathematics while helping them learn difficult topics. In my free time, I like playing chess, biking, mountain hiking, and studying mathematics.

Alejandra Cermeno

Alejandra graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. Shortly after graduation, Alejandra joined the Mathnasium of Pasadena team as an instructor and advanced her way to Center Director over the course of 3 years. As Education Specialist, she is now in charge of all student learning plans, training of new instructors, and furthering the training of current instructors alongside Xavier, the District Support Specialist.

Andrew Molina

Andrew graduated from the University of San Diego in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. After graduation, he joined the team at Mathnasium of South Pasadena as a Math Instructor. After moving his way up to Lead Instructor and Assistant Center Director, Andrew became the Center Director for the Mathnasium of South Pasadena. Due to the wonderful time he had managing the South Pasadena center over the course of 3 years, Andrew looks forward to his new role as District Manager. As District Manager Andrew will oversee the management of the Mathnasium centers located in Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Marino, and South Pasadena. He is excited to continue to provide top-tier customer service at each Mathnasium location as well as help build his students’ confidence so they can succeed at any goal they set for themselves.

Daniela Mesa

Daniela graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics. She joined the Mathnasium of Pasadena team and served as their Assistant Center Director from 2022 - 2024. As our District Support Specialist, she works with centers in our local district to ensure that we never miss a beat and continue providing only the highest quality math instruction for our students.