Emma Chen (emmayc1@uci.edu)
Hello everyone! My name is Emma and I am a 3rd year Microbiology & Immunology and Informatics major. Currently, I am doing research under Dr. Warrior’s lab, which focuses on researching genetic pathways related to diabetes in drosophila using bioinformatics! A few things about me: I play the flute and piccolo for the euphonic video game ensemble here at UCI (please check us out 🙂 we play music from a lot of music from popular franchises) but besides that, you will probably either find me studying somewhere or at the ARC working out or playing badminton. Despite many people saying that ochem is challenging and one of the biggest obstacles to overcome, I personally found this series of courses to be more enjoyable than general chemistry even with the suffering and I hope that you guys will too! I look forward to meeting everyone!
Jesus Dominguez (jesussd@uci.edu)
Hello everyone, my name is Jesus Dominguez. I am a third-year Biological Sciences student and am excited to support you through the Organic Chemistry series. Initially, I thought the series would be challenging and not enjoyable, however, 51A-C ended up being the most enjoyable classes I have taken. I highly recommend doing all of the worksheets provided by your professors and the tutors as those were a valuable resource for me while taking these classes. As a tutor, I hope to change your perception of this course and help you perform the best you can.
Viktor Gevirtzman (vgevirtz@uci.edu)
Hello everyone, my name is Viktor and I am a fourth-year Biology and Chemistry double major. I aspire to get a Ph.D. in chemistry and then become an organic chemistry professor while researching medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. Originally just a biology major on the pre-med track, I developed a passion during the 51 series that ultimately caused me to switch my career path and add a chemistry major. I am looking forward to getting a handful of this class to acquire the same passion for organic chemistry as me, and at the very least, help make it a less strenuous topic for the remainder.
Irene Jin (ijin1@uci.edu)
Hello everyone! My name is Irene Jin, and I am excited to be one of your peer tutors this year. I am a third year student studying Biology, hoping to specialize in Genetics and become a Genetics Counselor. I am a part of Dr. Warrior’s Lab, exploring the TGF beta signals regarding the Insulin pathway and the effect of the Insulin pathway through Drosophila flies using dawdle gene. I am a part of the Cosmetic Chemistry Society. I love puzzles, so I love Organic Chemistry since it feels like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. I want to encourage students to gain an interest in Organic Chemistry.
Abby Kim (abigajk3@uci.edu)
Hello hello! My name is Abby and I’m a third year biological sciences major. I am a premed student who wants to specialize in Ophthalmology. I have conducted research regarding various eye topics like pediatric refractive surgery and keratoconus. In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, video games, reading, and crocheting. I am looking forward to helping you all get a firm grasp on organic chemistry which looks daunting at first but I promise is totally doable! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for anything, I’m happy to help in any way that I can.
Hera Kim (seohyek@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Hera, and I am a third-year Biology and Public Health Policy major. I am currently working in a neuroscience lab, researching sex differences in depression. Organic chemistry can seem intimidating, but I hope to show you that it doesn’t have to be as scary as it’s often made out to be! My biggest piece of advice is not to be afraid and try to make learning organic chemistry an enjoyable journey. I look forward to meeting you all!
Dylan Kodira (dkodira@uci.edu)
Hey everyone! My name is Dylan Kodira and I am a fourth year Chemistry major specializing in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry. I currently conduct research in Sim Lab, working on synthesizing supramolecular polymers fueled by bioelectricity. I, like many students, struggled to grasp the concepts of the 51 series at first. But by implementing the right studying strategies and hard work, the concepts fell right into place, making organic chemistry one of the most enjoyable and gratifying subjects to learn. I became a peer tutor because I want to see as many students along their learning journey, guiding them to that same moment that made me fall in love with organic chemistry. I can’t wait to work with all of you, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns!
Hoyoung Park (hoyoungp@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Hoyoung Park, and I’m super excited to be a peer tutor for this school year! I’m a third-year Microbiology and immunology major interested in the healthcare field. I am in the Plikus lab researching how complex tissues and organs regenerate under normal conditions and in response to injury or disease. I understand that organic chemistry can be a frustrating class, but as a peer tutor, I want to help you guys understand and enjoy the class as much as I did. One piece of advice I would give is to study with friends and teach each other as it’ll help you gain more understanding of the topic. I look forward to working with you guys and helping you through the 51 series!
Alex Yang (akyang2@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Alex Yang and I’m super excited to be one of your peer tutors this year! I’m a third-year biological sciences major and am premed planning to get a MD in the future. This upcoming year, I plan to spend most of my free time, outside of studying for my classes, swimming with the swim club at UCI, conducting research, and finding good places to eat around Irvine. I know that there is often the stigma of organic chemistry classes being unreasonably hard and almost impossible to get an A in without putting in extreme hours of studying. However, I wanted to become an organic chemistry peer tutor because I wanted to change that for the 51 series at UCI by providing the strategies, notes, and practice problems that helped me succeed. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with everyone and feel free to reach out to me with any questions!
Max Zhang (maximirz@uci.edu)
Hey all, I’m Max, and I’m a third year majoring in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. I do research in the Finkeldei Lab, investigating the corrosion mechanisms that occur in deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel, and I also work at a green polymer chemistry startup. I spend most of my time outside of classes doing homework, but apart from that I like hiking, playing video games, and watching Jeopardy. Ochem was really different from all my previous chemistry classes, but it’s where you start getting into all the cool and interesting parts of chemistry, and it’s so rewarding to learn! The best advice I can give is to learn from those around you, and to be skeptical and ask questions!