A short Q&A with Amber Oliver

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in North Carolina.

Where did you go to college and what did you study?

I graduated from Duke University. I double majored in Visual & Media Studies (BA) and Earth & Ocean Sciences (BA), and I minored in Classical Civilizations. A mouthful! Essentially, I studied art history, visual culture, marketing, geology, and the Greeks and Romans.

What are some things you like?

I love reading. I love strawberry picking but only if I’m with someone who will fill the bucket while I eat the berries. I like to sail (420s and sunfish), though I haven’t in a while, and I love going to art museums. I like talking about how much I love nature while I sit inside.

How did you get into tutoring?

I did some peer tutoring in college and really loved it, so when I moved to Los Angeles I looked into different tutoring companies. I began tutoring with a test prep company out there; I tutored first in person and then online. After a couple of years I decided I wanted to branch out on my own, and I now work at Chandler Learning Center.

Any other professional interests?

I previously worked for a boutique luxury real estate company based in LA. I video edited content that the CEO pushed out on his socials and created deliverables for the agents. I’m always interested in marketing and the way visuals tell a story.

Do you know a Latin quote that is relevant to this website but didn’t really fit anywhere else?

Docendo discimus means “the best way to learn is to teach,” and is a maxim that underlies my tutoring style. To test a student’s understanding after working out a particularly hard problem, I like to have the student teach me how to work it out. I know a student is good to go once they can explain a problem on their own. Also, the quote describes one of the reasons I so love tutoring: I get to learn as well! It’s this high of shared knowledge that makes me eager to sit down and tutor.