Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Temple City

Ashley Loong

Ashley is currently majoring in Mathematics at UCLA. She is in the Honors Program and a UCLA CCCP Scholar. She is interested in teaching and education technology and plans to have a teaching credential in the near future. During her time at Arcadia High School, Ashley played varsity basketball and served her community as a middle school TA/afterschool tutor, children's ministry leader, and youth basketball coach. Her academic journey and volunteer experience have taught her the importance of strong mentorship and diligence, especially when a subject is challenging. She is committed to closing the education gap by sharing her passion for STEM, investing in meaningful connections, and preventing math from filtering out underprivileged youth from STEM careers. In her free time, Ashley enjoys reading, working out, and snowboarding.

Ei Khin

Ei is currently attending Cal Poly Pomona, where she is studying Visual Communication Design. Ei received a certificate in Web Design and Development. Ei is currently working on a special project at a start-up tech company called NolymitAI in Silicon Valley and will be joining the founding team after she obtains her degree. Ei was a Hoeft Scholarship recipient when she attended Arroyo High School and earned an Associate's Degree in Natural Sciences and Humanities at PCC. Ei enjoys baking and wants to master it in the future. She is an avid swimmer and loves to spend her free time listening to music, watching movies, building legos, and traveling.

Curtis McKendrick

Curtis graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. He is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and served 2 years in a humanitarian and ecclesiastical mission trips in Germany and Austria. Curtis enjoys teaching and is passionate in helping young students to enjoy and understand Math in a very fun, engaging and interactive way. In his spare time, Curtis enjoys reading and keeping up on the current astronomical events, particularly anyting related to the James Webb Space Telescope.

John Grafilo

John is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology in hopes to become a counselor or a therapist in the future. He just recently graduated from PCC with an associate degree in science but will pursue a counseling field that involves with guiding people through personal challenges and empowering them to achieve a healthier mind to reach their goals. During high-school, John worked at Kaiser Permanente’s Youth Program where he attended educational sessions and motivational workshops that introduced him to the possibilities of pursuing a career in health care. Additionally, he became an ambassador for PCC throughout his college years in which he found my passion in helping students learn the material and improve their academic performance. In his free time, John likes to play music, play sports, and be active with his family and friends. Since traveling is his biggest goal, he wants to be able to explore many places where he can also apply his knowledge in human services.

Christopher Wong

Chris is currently attending Pasadena City College, where he will be pursuing an Aerospace Engineering degree once he is transferred to a 4-year college. Outside of classroom, Chris was a superstar in the prestigious Arcadia High School band. He competed in the Finals of WGI Percussion and Winds World Championships 2022 in Ohio and also won a Bronze Medal in the Southern California Percussion Alliance competition earlier this year. In his spare time, Chris is learning to play guitar.

Jo Grafilo

Jo is currently attending Cal State LA, majoring in Biology. She held an Associate Degree in Natural Science in PCC and will be pursuing medical degree to be a pediatric physician. Jo works extremely well with our students, particularly the younger and early learners as she shares her passion in STEM to students at the center. In her spare time, Jo enjoys reading.

Kaylee Chandra

Kaylee is currently attending UCLA and majoring in Business Administration. In the future, Kaylee would like to focus on studying finance and investments. During her time at Temple City High School, Kaylee was part of many extracurricular activities, such as the Associated Student Body, Temple City High School Pep Squad, and Miss Temple City Ambassador Program. Kaylee has always enjoyed Mathematics and took Honors and Advanced Placement mathematics courses throughout high school. She hopes to show kids that Math is fun and entertaining. In her free time, Kaylee enjoys listening to music, crocheting, and having picnics with friends and family.

Sandra Lee

Sandra is currently attending PCC Honor's program, majoring in Psychology. She plans to transfer to UCLA as Psychobiology major. Sandra is a seasoned instructor and has been very instrumental in helping students at the center. Sandra was the Public Relations officer in the Red Cross Club Cabinet and actively engaged in the UNICEF Club Cabinet during her senior year in TCHS. In her spare time, Sandra enjoys doing digital art, reading and playing video games.

Brent Ha

Brent is a UCLA graduate and currently getting his Teaching Credentials at CSULA. Brent enjoys teaching and inspiring students of all ages to strive and do well in Math and STEM. He loves to share his passion in every interaction that he has with students at our center. Brent enjoys gaming and has competed in various gaming competition. In his free time, Brent likes to stay active and ride his stationary exercise bike.

Ellie Hang

Ellie is currently a full-time student at Cal Poly Pomona with a focus on Psychology. She has recently completed Yale University's online Psychology courses. Outside of classroom, Ellie was the first chair violinist in a youth orchestra and participated in numerous festivals and concerts. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys reading thriller and romance novels, watching Korean shows, and baking. Some interesting things about Ellie, she skipped kindergarten and went straight to elementary school. Ellie enjoys working at Mathnasium because of the fun and intuitive interactions with the children, the playful yet focused environment, and the jokes that the students make!

Stephen Le

Stephen graduated with honors from UC Irvine as a double major in Psychological Science and Business Economics. He is currently studying to work in IT support by preparing for industry certifications. Stephen recently completed the Google IT Support Professional certificate course in preparation for the CompTIA A+ certification. Stephen believes that every student is capable of great achievement regardless of background as Math can be learned by any student with the right support and encouragement. In his free time, Stephen enjoys weightlifting, plays video games, and takes care of his family.

Vicki Lam

Vicki is currently attending CSU Fullerton and majoring in Kinesiology. She loves working with children and will be focusing her specialty in pediatric orthopedics. During her spare time, Vicki enjoys being active and plays numerous sports such as volleyball, basketball, badminton, tennis and swimming. Fun fact about Vicki, she is a multi-talented musician and is able to play 5 instruments!

Ethan Poon

Ethan is currently attending Pasadena City College majoring in Data Science and Computer Science. During his high school tenure, Ethan participated in creating a curriculum around STEM focused program for K-12 students on a website that his friends started during the first half of their senior year in high school. In his free time, Ethan enjoys relaxing at home while listening to music or watching shows, or spending time with his friends.

Patrick Xu

Patrick is currently studying at PCC majoring in Applied Math. Prior to working at Mathnasium, Patrick enlisted in the Marine Corps and spent his last 5 years serving our country in Okinawa, Japan. Patrick has one of the best disciplines when it comes to his approach in helping our students at Mathnasium. Fun fact about Patrick, he loves skydiving and has more than 25 jumps in the last couple years!

Pauline Li

Pauline is currently attending UCLA to pursue her passion and interest in Biology and Biochemistry. She is majoring in human biology (Pre-Med). She recently was accepted in UCLA summer program that focused in STEM and was a elected Vice President of Temple City's American Red Cross Club. Pauline is an active person and enjoy waking up in the early morning. She also volunteers regularly at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia.

Ellen Tang

Ellen Tang is currently attending Temple City HS. She is rising superstar at TCHS, accomplishing many accolades and achievements in the past few years. Ellen is in the National Science Bowl and the Science Olympiad Team representing her school to compete regionally and nationwide. Outside of her class room, Ellen mentors and is a coach for the Science Olympiad Team at Oak Avenue Intermediate and a number of elementary schools in the Temple City Unified School District. Ellen has a passion in music and is currently in the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra. In her spare time, she volunteers at the USC Arcadia Hospital and the Emanate Heath Queen of the Valley Hospital. In the future, Ellen wants to pursue a degree in medicine or research in genetics and cellular biology. Her passion in teaching drives her to inspire interest in STEM in young students.

Hayley Tang

Hayley is currently attending Temple City HS. Just like her twin sister, Ellen, Hayley too is a superstar in her HS. Hayley won 25 medals combined between 4th grade until now which include 2 state medals in Science Olympiad. She was also placed Top 3 in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) 10B and the USABO Biology Olympiad representing her school. Outside of classroom, Hayley is virtuoso in violin, playing in the Pasadena Youth Chamber Orchestra and at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. She also plays golf in TCHS girl's team. Hayley plans to pursue a degree in medicine to further her interest in human anatomy in the future.