Tom Sheridan, Founder

Tom graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Finance, earning a 3.74 GPA. Tom then put his degree to work at Merrill Lynch's world headquarters where he worked as an Analyst then Assistant VP.

Looking for something more creative and inspiring, Tom next earned a Master's in Screenwriting from UCLA with a 3.85 GPA. Tom went on to write for several major studios including Sony & Disney and has also written three novels!

Tom also found another inspiring calling along the way: education. In 2008, Tom founded what was destined to become PV Prep and has more recently expanded his reach as an educator, including completing Cal State Long Beach’s Single Subject Credential Program in Mathematics with a 4.0 GPA.

Outside of education, Tom likes to write, coach youth baseball, play KanJam, and, along with his wife Tamara, educate and inspire two kids of his own!

DANIEL

Daniel’s passion for education came at an early age as a pre-college counselor at Carson High School where he inspired younger students to pursue college then helped them navigate the process. There, he was also a captain for the Academic Decathlon and achieved passing marks on four AP exams: Calculus, English Language, English Literature, and Psychology. Outside of the classroom, he played varsity tennis and founded the chess club.

Daniel then further honed his expertise across reading, writing, and mathematics as an English major who also completed significant math coursework on his way to a B.A. from CSUDH where he earned a 3.8 GPA. Along the way, Daniel has also acquired extensive experience tutoring for PV Prep across English, Math, and the ACT & SAT. Additionally, he has complemented his subject matter expertise and tutoring experience with strong leadership experience as a National School Project Student Leader.

A true intellectual, Daniel has also taken several Physics classes and does computer coding in his spare time. He is now integrating his English and coding passions by focusing on graduate studies in computational linguistics. He is also an avid musician who is a lead singer and guitarist in his church band—while also currently practicing piano, ukulele, drums, and bass!

MIK SUGAY, EVP

Mik graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics-an undergraduate math program that ranks top-10 globally! He is also an alum of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, where he graduated with a 4.76 GPA, scored a 770 on the SAT Math section, a 5 on the Calculus AB AP exam (among 7 other AP courses), and was a captain of the lacrosse team.

Mik has done an outstanding job as a tutor for PV Prep since 2012, while still finding time to follow his favorite L.A. sports teams.

In addition to tutoring, Mik has a broader role of helping PV Prep grow, improve, and continue to offer the highest quality tutoring at a competitive rate. Of course, Mik accomplishes these objectives by doing a fantastic job working with families and helping students succeed!

BRYNN

Brynn is a recent graduate of University of Puget Sound where she earned cum laude honors with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Prior to college, Brynn attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School where she shined academically, earning either a 4 or a 5 on 10 AP exams—including Spanish, a practice she has kept up as a tutor!

Brynn is now pursuing further education in genetic counseling as she also shares her strong academic background with today’s students across math, science, Spanish, and all sections of the SAT & ACT. Brynn’s prior tutoring experience, ranging from working with college students at a university learning center to working with women at a corrections center, has afforded Brynn the ability to connect with a variety of personalities and bring out the best in each individual student.

Outside of education, Brynn enjoys rock climbing, reading (currently The Lord of the Rings series), and teaching herself the arts of drawing and embroidery!

MELISSA

Melissa is a graduate of UC Irvine, where she earned her B.S. in Psychology. Before her time in Irvine, she attended Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. In high school, she was a member of CSF and also sang in the PVPHS Choir for three years, the latter including a performance at St. Peter's Basilica! 

Having received an excellent education through both the PV and UC school systems, Melissa now applies her strong foundational skills to curriculum tutoring across Math & English as well as standardized test prep including all sections of the SAT & ACT. In her work, Melissa is inspired to help students succeed and grow not only in their knowledge but also as individuals!

Outside of tutoring, Melissa's hobbies include singing, traveling, cooking, and powerlifting.

VALI

Vali grew up in Palos Verdes and attended USC. He majored in neuroscience and finance, working in both private equity and investment banking. After a few years, he found his calling in medicine, and is currently preparing to apply to medical schools.

Vali has extensive experience with finance but was drawn to medicine because of a passion for helping other people. He is particularly interested in pediatrics, and so tutoring came naturally to him. He is committed to helping prepare the next generation for tomorrow’s challenges. His finance GPA was 3.8 while his science GPA was 3.5. He scored a 31 on the ACT.

In his free time, Vali enjoys playing the piano and drums. He also enjoys mountain biking and hiking. 

AUGUST

August graduated from the University of Oregon as a double major in English and Spanish, earning a 3.5 GPA. Outside the classroom at Oregon, August also proved himself as a leader dedicated to helping others in both the role of Co-Director of the Black Male Alliance and by partnering with the St. Vincent De Paul church to develop the Reading to Kids Program.

August also applied his passion for helping others via education as an English tutor for Spanish students while studying abroad in Segovia, Spain. The overall Spanish immersion experience also helped August further refine his expertise in the field.

Outside of tutoring and continued community involvement, August has a passion for music and also enjoys playing videos games—including Fortnite! August is also an athlete who played both football and baseball in high school. And in the classroom, August’s academic achievements included passing four AP’s: English Language, English Literature, World History, and Biology. August is now excited to share his strong academic background with today’s students!

Irene

Irene graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film and Middle East and North African Studies and a 3.8 GPA. She is a 2017-2018 Fulbright Research Award alumna to Morocco, where she researched the history of Moroccan acrobats. After her Fulbright, Irene worked as a food journalist in New York City, where she wrote for publications like Roads and Kingdoms and Business Insider.

She first fell in love with tutoring when she served as Northwestern’s official Arabic language tutor. Her education journey continued with leading small-group math interventions in LAUSD elementary schools. She’s passionate about helping students achieve confidence in their academics and their futures.

Irene is also a writer and professional script consultant. When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her nose-deep in the New York Times puzzles or foraging for wild culinary mushrooms in the mountains.