Our Tutors

CEO and Founder

Mindspire™ was founded by Shahar Link, who has been teaching in high schools and tutoring standardized tests for more than 20 years. Shahar earned his Master’s degree in History from Stanford University, where he wrote his thesis on the history of IQ testing. His research sparked a lasting commitment to helping students succeed—both on standardized tests and in their academic journeys.

In addition to leading Mindspire’s elite tutoring team, Shahar continues to work directly with students, offering personalized SAT and ACT tutoring. To inquire about working with Shahar, please select the “Contact Us” option in the navigation bar and note your interest. Online only.

SAT: 1600 out of 1600

Director, NC Triangle Area

Raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, David graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Statistics. His passion for education started early—while still in high school, he worked as a private math tutor, helping his peers gain confidence and achieve academic success. In his senior year, David became the first student at his high school to take college-level Calculus III and Biology, where he even found himself tutoring his fellow college classmates.

Throughout his time at UNC, David continued to support students in subjects like Statistics, Economics, and Calculus, all while maintaining Dean’s List honors. After graduating, he turned his focus to closing the education gap left by COVID-19, pioneering online SAT and ACT prep courses for rising juniors and seniors.

Over the years, David has worked with a wide range of students—from tutoring his school’s football team in AP Calculus to supporting learners with ADHD and other learning differences. His enthusiasm for teaching shines through in every session, and he takes pride in helping each student reach their unique potential.

When he’s not teaching, you’ll likely find David on the tennis or pickleball court, out on the golf course, experimenting in the kitchen, working out at the gym, or traveling to new destinations around the world.

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Director of Student Success

Annette is the Director of Student Success at Mindspire Tutoring and Test Prep. As a proud military spouse, she spent 25 years traveling the world with her husband and six children. Her experiences as a mom, combined with a deep interest in education, naturally led her into the college admissions world when her oldest child began applying to universities. After guiding her own children through more than 40 college applications, Annette developed a passion and expertise for helping families navigate the admissions process—especially when it comes to testing and preparation.

All five of Annette’s children who have applied to college have worked with Mindspire tutors. Three attended Brown University for their undergraduate degrees, two earned master’s degrees from the University of Virginia, and one is currently at the College of William & Mary, already accepted into the university’s master’s program. Her fifth child is a senior in high school navigating the process now, and she still has one more to go—a freshman in high school!

Before becoming Director of Student Success, Annette served as Program Manager and Student Success Specialist at Mindspire, managing the Libertyville, Illinois (2016–2017) and Richmond, Virginia (2018–2020) offices. Over the years, she has helped hundreds of students choose the right test, identify the best program, and connect with the perfect tutor to help them reach their goals.

When she’s not working or cooking for her family, Annette enjoys reading, hiking through the woods, spending time with friends, and traveling to out-of-the-way places.

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Theresa is a native New Yorker. She graduated high school valedictorian, went to NYU, and finished her degree in just three years, thanks to AP credit. Now she works as a tutor and an actor/singer/dancer and director/choreographer. When she's not working with students or working on a show, she loves to play the drums, read, and hang out with Chowder (the best tuxedo cat in the world).

Theresa has been preparing students for their standardized tests for 15 years. She has helped over 400 students get the scores they want on their SAT, ACT, ISEE/SSAT, and AP English Literature and Language tests. Her extensive background in the arts helps her connect and communicate with all kinds of learners, including students with LDs, students with test anxiety, students aiming for perfect scores, and students who consider themselves "bad test takers."

Theresa believes that there is no such thing as a "bad test taker," because the skills needed to succeed on standardized tests are learnable. If a student feels like a "bad test taker," it probably just means they haven't learned the skills necessary for this test yet; that's where tutoring comes in. Personalized one-on-one tutoring is the best way to move test scores and grades; Theresa meets students where they are and tailors their program to their individual needs.

Malik is a Columbia University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies. He has been tutoring one-on-one full-time for the past 18 years with exceptional results. Even as a student in high school and in college, Malik demonstrated his love of teaching by helping classmates, relatives, and family friends prepare for their exams. He currently tutors for the SAT, ACT, SAT II: Math Levels 1 and 2, and PSAT and has instructed students in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, India, South Africa, Switzerland, and throughout the United States via Skype. As a father of three boys, ages 4 to 15, and a 17 year-old girl, Malik understands that every student is unique. Having taught hundreds of students, he knows the importance of structuring lessons to students’ specific needs. In his leisure time he is an amateur chef who likes to pretend he is a contestant on Chopped. He also enjoys bowling, playing pool, and traveling.

Chrissy started teaching immediately after graduating from Princeton University, and she’s been helping people learn ever since. As a former Montessori teacher in the public school system, she has unique experience in combining student-led discovery with standardized test prep. Chrissy loves radishes and daffodils, Ang Lee and Lu Xun. She can knit a Möbius strip and a pretty good approximation of a Klein bottle. When she’s not tutoring or working on her mini-homestead with her family, Chrissy can most often be found swimming in the Eno, paddling on Jordan Lake, or taking a road trip to visit friends.

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Charly Kuecks has been a Test Prep and math tutor and group instructor for the past decade. She holds a degree in French Literature from Brigham Young University (BYU) and did her graduate work at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business. For four years, she taught ACT courses at the University of Utah since her first semester of grad school in August 2017 and has loved every minute!  Having been a National Merit Scholar at the Waterford School in Sandy, Utah, and having gone to both undergrad and graduate school on a full merit scholarship, what she likes best about test prep as a field is demystifying a test that can be a huge barrier to students' upward mobility otherwise. With an approachable demeanor and an eye for minor details, she motivates her students to believe anything is possible in their pursuit of higher education. She’s also the lead writer for Mindspire's newsletter and blog. When not working, Charly pursues her interests in yoga, creative writing, snowboarding, and music.

Owen is a Ph.D. candidate in nuclear engineering with a graduate certificate in Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Policy. He holds degrees in mechanical engineering, economics, and Chinese studies. Owen hopes to encourage his students to harness their intellectual curiosity to find fulfillment in their lives. His approach to tutoring centers around finding ways to make learning as directly relevant to his students' interests as possible. This is informed by his own experience in high school and college; the courses that built his own academic confidence most were those in which teachers went the extra mile to make the material salient to him. Beyond the office, Owen spends his spare time beekeeping, propagating native pollinator plants, playing tabletop miniatures games, and spending time with his cat.

Finola graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in English (creative writing track). She went on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the University at Notre Dame, where she taught first-year composition and wrote a dissertation on moral philosophy in science fiction. After graduate school, she did research for a small nonprofit as well as tutoring academic English and the ACT. When not working, she enjoys training for marathons on the American Tobacco Trail and hanging out with her husband and their obstreperous one-eared rescue dog.

Bruce is a Stanford graduate (Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) and entrepreneur. He began tutoring for the SAT and ACT while raising three children, and his love for teaching quickly became evident. For Bruce, there’s nothing better than hearing a student say, “Oh, now I get it!”—that moment of clarity drives his work and inspires his teaching style.

He recognizes that every student thinks differently and takes pride in explaining concepts in ways that resonate with each individual. Bruce is caring and sensitive to the challenges today’s students face, helping them navigate the ebb and flow of demanding workloads while keeping them motivated. He makes preparing for the SAT or ACT as engaging and enjoyable as possible, using stories, occasional humor, and unwavering good cheer to guide students toward their goals.

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Lucy grew up in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where she enjoyed spending time outside, reading and playing sports. She graduated as valedictorian of her high school and went on to Williams College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in Environmental Policy in 2016. While at Williams, Lucy tutored students in biology courses and worked as a math teaching assistant. After graduating, Lucy lived in Bolivia for 9 months and worked on farms in New England before moving to Durham in 2017. She has spent the past two years working with middle school students as a substitute teacher and math interventionist at Central Park School for Children and as a summer teacher at Student U, a college-access enrichment program. She is currently attending the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at UNC Chapel Hill, focusing on Special Education and Mathematics. Beyond working with students, Lucy loves to cook, ride her bicycle, and explore the trails along the Eno River.

SAT: 2400 out of 2400

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Originally from Auburn, California, Scott graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Linguistics. He has been tutoring and mentoring since high school and continued to do so at Duke, working as a peer advisor and helping fellow students achieve their academic and extracurricular goals. After graduating from Duke, Scott spent nearly 2 years teaching English and SAT courses in Vietnam, and he excels at effectively teaching students from diverse backgrounds. Upon returning to the United States, it didn’t take long for Scott to end up back in North Carolina, and he looks forward to helping local students exceed their standardized testing goals. When he’s not tutoring, Scott can be found lifting weights, running, and listening to music.

Raised in Korea and Washington, Sarah recently graduated from Dartmouth College, where she studied Neuroscience and Government. Since high school, she has been tutoring her classmates and younger students. Sarah currently works as a researcher analyzing public health policies and intends to attend graduate school in the future. In her free time, she can be found reading, cooking, exploring restaurants, hiking, or knitting.

Harris is from Raleigh, NC and graduated from Duke University in 2024, where he majored in Global Health and Biology on the pre-medical track while tutoring college and high school students. This year, in addition to tutoring, he is applying to medical schools, which led to him recently embarking on his own standardized testing journey with the MCAT. He hopes to help others with their testing and studies, and to continue educating as a physician in the future. He has experience working with students from different backgrounds on a variety of subjects including science, math, and reading. Outside of tutoring, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and art museums, and working towards his Spanish fluency.

Sarah first began tutoring in 2013 and quickly realized how much she loves helping students learn and improve their skills. She then spent several years volunteering as a teacher’s aide in various schools in her hometown of Greenville, SC. During her college years at UNC, Sarah tutored other students at UNC while earning a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Music. She is now happy to be a Mindspire tutor as she starts at UNC School of Law. In her free time, Sarah enjoys playing music with friends, pursuing her new love of espresso making, and taking care of her spirited kitten, Penny Lane.

Ben was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, graduating from North Carolina State University summa cum laude in 2022. Throughout high school and college, once they had gained a good grasp of the subject material in a class, they would quickly turn around and begin helping their peers understand the material and succeed. They quickly discovered a passion for using their knowledge to help others learn and understand new concepts. Since graduating from high school in 2019, Ben has been tutoring students and peers in test prep, math, and science. They strive to create a safe and comfortable environment that challenges students in their tutoring sessions, allowing them to learn without fear of making mistakes or asking for help. In addition to being a Mindspire tutor, Ben also works on sets for local commercials and films. They enjoy learning new subjects, animating, and playing video games.

Trenton is a biologist, an educator, and tutor who wants to play a role in training future academics, researchers, and professionals. He graduated from UC Berkeley with bachelors degrees in biology and economics, and gained a masters in microbiology at NC State. In the meantime, he held research jobs at the USDA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he worked on projects such as hypoallergenic wheat flour, artificial ecosystems, and bacterial genomics. Trenton is currently teaching biology at Wake Tech Community College and is working to ensure more students in the Raleigh-Durham area are prepared to take advantage of the RTP’s biotech opportunities.

When it comes to teaching, Trenton specializes in exploring material from multiple perspectives and offering students the “big picture” so that learning doesn’t feel like memorization. Students that work with Trenton often remark that old material has finally been explained in a way that makes sense. Due to the collaborative nature of our tutoring sessions, students often gain verbal confidence as well. For Trenton, the joy of this job is watching students grow and helping students achieve their highest academic potential.  

Henry grew up in the Chicago suburbs, was high school valedictorian, and has a B.A. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During his undergrad years, he started volunteering at local schools and discovered a passion for helping students. Since then, he has spent over 10 years helping students with school work, standardized test prep, and college applications. His favorite part of the job is watching students transform and become more confident. He also loves to cook, bike, and spend time with his partner and their cat.

Tyler (they/them) has 20+ years as a high school math teacher, curriculum writer, teacher trainer, and tutor. This year, Tyler’s going back to the classroom as a graduate student in Physics at NCCU, specifically working on a Nuclear Astrophysics project with a professor from the University of North Carolina. Tyler graduated from Duke with a B.A. in History and an M.A.T. in Teaching Mathematics. Tyler also received an advanced degree (ABD) from North Carolina State University in Mathematics & Statistics Education.

In addition to teaching, tutoring, and studying, Tyler serves on the Board of Directors of 1:11 Art & Healing Space, where they host a game night and teach an occasional mixed-media art class. A passionate learner, Tyler is always trying new things. Right now they are enjoying learning to box and exploring their creativity through art. After fostering a plethora of kittens with Independent Animal Rescue, Tyler now has a crew of 5 mostly “unadoptable” cats at home living their best lives.

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Jetta is an M.A. student in Educational Technology at UNC Chapel Hill, and has been working with students since high school. She recently graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a B.S. in Psychological Science. Her M.A. research focuses on improving K-12 math instruction using AI and 360° videos. In her free time, Jetta loves to go to concerts, do gymnastics, and try new recipes!

Lindsey is an English MA student at North Carolina State University. She discovered her love of tutoring in 2019 while getting her undergraduate degree in Writing and Rhetoric and the University of Central Florida. Since then, she's tutored students from a wide variety of backgrounds, academic disciplines, and education levels. Lindsey believes that an individualized approach to tutoring is important in helping each student to do their best. When she's not working, Lindsey loves to sing, read sci-fi and fantasy novels, and spend time with her dog, Zero!

Steven is a kind and curious educator and math enthusiast. His teaching philosophy focuses on cultivating the students' problem-solving skills and creativity. He has been a math teacher for over six years, teaching and tutoring students of all levels from grade school to college. Steven earned his Ph.D. from NCSU in 2021, with research in understanding the underlying theoretical properties of real-world models; he also has experience in the software engineering field. Outside of teaching, Steven loves the outdoors and is an avid musician, chef, and gardener.

Casey first discovered a love for helping others achieve their academic goals by tutoring math for grades K-12 while she was getting her Associates in Science in Asheville, NC. She then moved to Chapel Hill to pursue a B.S. in Quantitative Biology at UNC. She currently works at Duke University in preclinical brain cancer research, and is working on a Masters degree in Physiology from NC State. In her free time, Casey enjoys discussing politics and theology with her husband, snuggling up with their 4 dogs, gardening, playing the alto saxophone, and baking.

Ian was born and raised in Raleigh, attending high school at Cardinal Gibbons where he was awarded the National Merit Scholarship for his PSAT and SAT scores. He graduated with a BA in Journalism from Elon University in 2014, and has been helping students with subject tutoring and test prep for almost a decade, beginning with Mindspire in 2016. In 2021, Ian went back to school to become an industrial electrician, but out of a genuine passion for teaching and learning, has continued tutoring students across a range of subjects and admissions tests.

As a tutor, his greatest satisfaction comes from helping struggling students demystify math, breaking it down into the smaller pieces they can understand, and recombining them in a way that hugely simplifies what seemed impossible to grasp. In his free time, Ian enjoys playing piano, reading, working in his garden, and looking forward to the upcoming birth of his daughter.

Working her way through her academic career, Sara earned her bachelors degree from George Washington University in political science, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in theology and a Masters of Arts from Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in Hebrew Bible. Sara moved to North Carolina to pursue her PhD in religious studies at UNC Chapel Hill and currently resides in Durham having returned to her political roots. She now works for a data and analytics firm that specializes in hyper targeting for campaigns specializing in AI modeling and forecasting. She tutored throughout her academic career as well teaching courses at university.

Sara would like it specially noted that she is dyslexic and learned and taught effective study and habit building strategies that help reduce text anxiety and bring focus to daily efforts. She has always thought about engaging with work creatively, and tailors work to students believing one size does not fit all.  

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