Our Team: Case Managers

Mark tutors math and sciences at BrainBoost. Before BrainBoost he worked as a math tutor in the Mathematics Activity Centre at Langara College. He recently finished an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at UBC. When he’s not tutoring or doing schoolwork, he can be found rock climbing in Squamish, cycling in Pacific Spirit National Park, catching a live show downtown, playing chess in a coffee shop, or getting a tan at Spanish Banks. He also enjoys reading, gardening, knitting, and vegetarian cooking.

Jessy Giammarino is a director and case-manager at BrainBoost. With a B.A. in English from the University of British Columbia and 3 years experience teaching Yoga, Jessy specializes in literacy and how stress and anxiety affect a student’s ability to learn. Jessy believes strongly in the importance of organization and structure to help students gain control of their academic life and mental sanity. With the help of our tutors, she is currently developing a company-wide organizational system that assists students in implementing a daily system of managing their never-ending things-to-do. As well, Jessy believes strongly in the power of the breath and tries to teach all her students how to use their breath to access a calm and clear mind. Jessy respects and cherishes her students’ differences and strives to be a strong and calming force in their lives in order to help them achieve their great potential.

Matt Giammarino has spent the last ten years teaching, running a business, learning, and researching. As a long time teacher (lower case ’t’), Matt has worked with a variety of people in a wide variety of contexts. Connecting with other people is what makes Matt tick. As an entrepreneur, Matt has learned (sometimes the hard way) about the challenges and joys that come with delivering quality education at a reasonable cost. As a researcher and a nerd, Matt has explored the worlds of philosophy, psychology, economics (honours), and education psychology (M.A. honours). His current research interests include understanding how environmental factors interact with thinking processes. For the last 2 years, Matt has been working on new technologies that help make education more personalized and efficient. Matt is always interested in new ideas. Get in touch on twitter @mattgiammarino or by email at matt.giammarino@gmail.com.

Justin is a University of Victoria certified teacher who recently returned from a 2 year leave teaching math and science at an international school in China. Looking to return home to friends and family, he has joined the BrainBoost Team as a Homework Help teacher. Justin is very passionate about conservation and sustainability and has worked at the Vancouver Aquarium and Zoo. He has previously worked and coached for the Paralympics and Special Olympics and is a true sports fanatic himself. He also likes spending time writing and playing guitar and can often be found with a good book in hand.

As well as being a Language Arts teacher, Morie is a true advocate for children’s literacy. She has over ten years experience working with children with learning challenges in the area of English Language Arts. Morie has a Special Education degree from the University of Alberta. She has a contagious enthusiasm for reading and writing and does what it takes to create engagement with kids. In her spare time Morie actively promotes literacy - most recently for OMID orphanage in Afghanistan and URPI orphanage in Peru. Exciting hockey games, gourmet meals and walks with her family and friends help keep Morie balanced.

Chris is a teacher from the UK who tutors Social Studies and English at BrainBoost. His specialties are Political Geography and 20th Century History. When Chris isn’t working, he enjoys playing soccer and ultimate frisbee, jamming on the guitar with friends, or reading philosophy.