Testimonials – Breakthrough Learning Center

TO OUR STUDENTS AND PARENTS,

We would like to take a moment and say THANK YOU. These students create meaning in our lives everyday. It is such a wonderful experience to be able to mentor and work with students throughout the years ( 10+ years). We are smiling everyday because we get to work with these students to create opportunities for their future. It is a great honor and pleasure to be part of each student’s educational experience along with helping each student reach his/her goals. We are both so happy to be part of your pathway to reaching above sky’s limits. Let’s make it happen!

– IVAN AVILA AND JENNIFER DINH

Sofia K.

I went to Gestalt Tutoring (Original Name of Breakthrough Learning Center) for all four years of high school; and during those four years, I not only expanded my quantitative

D. Kim

I have been attending Gestalt Tutoring, since I was in the middle of third grade and now I am a freshman in high school. When I first attended Gestalt, it was a small tutoring

A.Patel

I have been a student at BLC since 5th grade and I am now going into my junior year of high school. Mrs. Jen and Mr. Avila have been there for me through everything and are always there to offer me advice and guidance through all of my decisions whether it is

J. Muhtaseb

I have been attending Breakthrough Learning Center from September of 2013. From then till now, I

Erin S.

My name is Erin Solis, and I just recently graduated from Valencia High School along with the senior

class of 2013. My work with Mr. Avila and Ms. Dinh began the summer before my freshmen year of high school. I was looking to get ahead on the math class that I would be taking during the school year, and a family friend had very strongly recommended the services of Gestalt Tutoring. Since that first session four years ago, I had to keep going back because the help I received there was so much better than any that I had received elsewhere. Gestalt tutoring has helped me with my work from a broad spectrum of different subject areas. Mr. Avila and Ms. Dinh have guided me through three different math classes and helped me succeed in all three as well. They worked with me for both the SAT and the SAT subject tests. Finally, they helped me brainstorm, write and edit my college essays, which is by no means an easy task. The quality that sets the teachers at Gestalt apart from the others that I have encountered is their genuine concern for the all-around welfare of their students. Both are willing to go above and beyond what is necessary to make sure that their students understand the material. The best part is that they personalize a curriculum based on the needs of the individual they are working with. During math tutoring, they would go over the material that we would be learning in class that week as well as look ahead at some of the concepts we would be learning in the near future. I found this extremely helpful because the concepts were easier to understand in class since they had already been explained to me beforehand. SAT prep is unique because it requires a completely different approach. Ms. Dinh creates a system that more than prepares kids to take this test. She personalizes each session and focuses on the specific areas that each individual student needs to work on. Finally, coming from my own personal experiences, college essays are very difficult to compose. They take a lot of time and often require more than a couple of rewrites. More often than not, these essays require students to write about things that are very personal so that they can get to know you on a deeper level. Both of them were more than willing to read and give feedback on the multiple drafts that I sent to them. In my opinion, this is a truly defining characteristic of Gestalt Tutoring. They really care and want to see their students succeed. There is no doubt in my mind that both Mr. Avila and Ms. Dinh are two of the greatest teachers I have ever worked with, and I certainly would not have been as successful in high school without their help. Their constant support and guidance helped me get into the school of my dreams, as I will be heading to UCLA in the fall. Without a doubt, Gestalt Tutoring services has the best teachers around, and I would recommend them to anyone.

K. Kathrotia

My experience at Breakthrough Learning Center has been phenomenal! I first started to come to breakthrough when I was 10 and ever since then, I have been excelling in my

Kriti C.

Aside from school, emotionally, Ms. Jen has always been there for me. From high school stress, to the college application process, and even the typical high school drama, she is always there to give me support and advice. Breakthrough has always

Taylor K.

I have been going to Breakthrough Learning Center since I was about 6 years old. They started out as a small business located in a house where I was able to do my homework, and learn new material in the summer to prepare myself for the upcoming

D. Kotsonosis

As a parent, I found BLC a few years ago when my step-daughter was at-risk of failing

Annie R.

Gestalt tutoring (Original Name of Breakthrough Learning Center) is a place where kids

of various ages can learn, grow, and prosper. Both Ivan and Jennifer have a way of teaching their students information so that they can be successful in school. At Gestalt tutoring, students are provided with a positive environment that makes them want to learn and do well in school. With the help of Ivan and Jennifer, I was able to enter my various math classes feeling confident that I knew the information and could complete problems given to me. Ivan and Jennifer give their students extra practice that teachers may not. They are also able to answer all questions students may have regarding certain subjects that they are struggling in. I can personally say that being able to understand the math lessons given to me and seeing positive results on my tests was a great feeling! However, I wouldn’t have been as successful had I not received tutoring from Jennifer and Ivan. Not only did they improve my skills in middle school and high school level math, they prepared me for the SAT as well. At Gestalt tutoring, I spent many hours practicing strategies for the SAT and taking practice tests so I would know what to expect when I took the real thing. Only at Gestalt tutoring can you receive the insight and various strategies necessary to do well on the SAT. Ivan and Jennifer provide their students with practice tests that come from elite SAT prep books. Not just anyone has access to these books, so being able to study from them significantly helped me prepare for the test. Ivan and Jennifer require their students to work hard during tutoring sessions along with completing homework at home. At times it can be difficult, but Gestalt tutoring is very supportive and encouraging with all their students. In the end, if students put in the effort, they will see results from Jennifer and Ivan’s tutoring. With their help in preparing for the SAT, I was able to receive a strong score that got me a scholarship from the college I will be attending in the fall- Northern Arizona University.

K. Shim

I have been at Breakthrough Learning Center for 3 years now and will continue to be at this learning center until I graduate high school. There’s a reason why I won’t leave Breakthrough; each and every tutor care about their students genuinely and want them

Matthew N.

My name is Matthew Nguyen and I am currently a senior at Valencia High School. Since 9th grade, Ms. Jen and Mr. Avila have provided me with all the assistance I have required in order to succeed in high school. Ms. Jen has prepared me well in all aspects

Kyle Kim

I first attended Gestalt Tutoring (Breakthrough Learning Center) when I was eight years old. At first, I was furious at my mother for making me spend my summer at a tutoring center. I was very young, and all I wanted to do was mess around with my friends and

K. Kathrotia

Breakthrough learning center has been one of the best experiences I have had throughout my high school career. I have had about 3 tutors in high school, but I have never found one like Mrs.Jen and Mr. Avila. I would dread going to my other tutors because it was simply just 2 hours of not learning anything. However, coming to Breakthrough would be nothing like my experiences with my other tutors. I would be excited to come to Breakthrough because of the learning environment. Not only is there one on one sessions, but there are also classroom sessions. This allows you to study

with other peers that are taking the same class as you. Collaborating with other students that are taking the same courses as you allows you to succeed in that course. Mrs. Jen has been tutoring for years now so she knows how every single class is. She knows the material that is affiliated with each and every class because of past students and this to me is a big part of why I love Breakthrough so much. Mrs.Jen and Mr. Avila truly want to help every student. They try to give practice problems, practice quizzes, review books, and much more in order for the student to gain the most out of coming to tutor.

I have been coming to Mrs. Jen for about 4 years now and she has not only made me a better student, but also a better person. Being a high school student, I’ve had some days where I just wanted to breakdown because I didn’t know if all of this would be worth it. I wouldn’t know what to do, where to go, and most importantly who to talk to. I have had days where I would just sit by myself and cry for hours because of all the stress that came along with being a student. One day, I told Mrs. Jen about what was going through my mind. In just 20 minutes I was at so much ease. Mrs. Jen has done college here in California so she knows what the process is and how much stress comes along with it. Mrs. Jen and Mr. Avila truly cares for each and every single student and wants to do everything to help them. One thing I never forgot was when Mrs.Jen would always say “Keyuri take advantage of having me as a tutor. Text me or give me a call even at 12 am if you need to.” This quality of Mrs. Jen pushed me to try my hardest in school. She is so passionate in what she does and makes her students feel so secure. She sees the capabilities in every student and pushes them to achieve the goal they want. I would come to tutor late at night or early in the morning and Mrs. Jen and Mr. Avila would always be there to assist me in whatever I needed. I remember texting Mrs. Jen very late at night about homework help and I got a reply within five minutes. This is why Mrs. Jen is not like any other tutor. It is so easy to get on a personal level with her. It is so rare to find a combination of a tutor/therapist/friend. You can tell Mrs. Jen anything and she will give you her honest advice.

I have taken rigorous courses all throughout high school which include AP Human Geography, AP European History, AP Chemistry and many other subjects. Breakthrough learning center has helped me get through these rigorous subjects with good grades. I remember when I would have an AP Euro test, Mrs. Jen would write notes for me and send them to me via email so I can review them the day before the test. I also came for SAT and ACT and this helped a lot because Mrs. Jen would have piles of practice tests she would make me take. I would take a practice test every week and she would give me tips and tricks on how to improve. This really motivated me to try hard on these tests. I would try practicing at home but it would never work out because I would always get so distracted, but taking these tests in a learning environment helps a lot because it forces me to actually try my hardest.

I would truly not be where I am today academically and socially if it weren’t for Mrs.Jen and Mr. Avila. They have so much faith in every student and that’s what really pushes them to try their hardest. I gained my motivation, dedication, and commitment from them. When it was hard to motivate myself, they were always there to keep me up on my feet and to remind me how important education is.

Brenda E.

My experience at Breakthrough has been incredible! I have been attending since 7th grade and now I am a freshman at Valencia High School. Coming to breakthrough has helped me in more ways than one. Mrs.Jen and Mr.Avila are two of the most kindest

Katie C.

I have been attending Breakthrough Learning Center since I was in 7th grade, and now I am a junior in high school. My experience with Mr. Avila and Mrs. Jen has been so amazing and has helped me so much! Every tutor at Breakthrough sincerely cares

T. Kim

Breakthrough is a great example of how learning is more than a transfer of knowledge. Since there’s many different types of learners out there, Mrs. Jen and Mr. Avila structure individual curriculums to match the student’s learning style and pair instructors that have

Kevin K.

I have been going to breakthrough ever since I was in 6th grade. I am now graduating high school and attending University of California, Irvine as a Mechanical Engineer. I can honestly say that without Ms. Jen, Mr. Avila, Mr. Rob, Mr. Kim, and all the other tutors, I would not have been able to succeed in school. BLC is not the ordinary

N. Patel

I’ve been going to Breakthrough since my freshman year of high school; so basically my entire high school career. Before I went to Breakthrough, I perused through several different tutoring centers. However, none of them had what Breakthrough had. Breakthrough made me feel like family and accommodated to my every need. Every instructor at Breakthrough is so patient and knowledge and they do go the extra mile to

K. Hobby

When I came to Breakthrough 3 years ago, I thought I was going there just to get help in math and studying for the SAT and ACT, but I gained knowledge outside of those subjects. Breakthrough opened my mind both academically and socially. They taught me items that I still carry along with me as a college student. Breakthrough feels like a

P. Marquez

After tutoring for BLC, I’ve learned that in many cases students don’t have the time to dedicate to the work in front of them. Daily extracurricular activities, stress from college applications, and life outside the classroom are ways in which students can get distracted from what’s important. As a former tutor of BLC, our main objective was to

Kristin S.

I have been at Breakthrough Learning Center for 5 years now and will graduate El Dorado High School. There’s a reason why I won’t leave Breakthrough; each and every tutor care about their students genuinely and want them to do well in the future. Ms. Jenn and Mr. Avila are such hardworking people that I am so inspired by everyday. They

N. Chen

Breakthrough Learning Center is a great place where students can ask for help on their homework, get ahead in their classes, and interact with classmates outside of the school. Mrs. Jen, Mr. Avila, Mr. Rob, and other instructors have several years of experience in education. With these experiences, the curriculum is catered to each individual student for them to succeed. We have access to textbooks that students are using in their classes and problem sets for extra work. Furthermore, when a student is

M. Nguyen

I’ve been going to BLC my entire high school career and I can honestly say that it is like no other learning institution. I cannot express enough the extent to which the staff cater to each student. Mr. Avila, Ms. Jen, and all of the instructors truly make all of their students feel like part of a family, which creates a hospitable environment conducive learning. Not only do they provide me with the necessary help for all of my classes, but

B. Enciso

I went to Breakthrough from 7th grade until the end of high school. I am now in college pursuing a degree in Nursing. School is something that definitely did not come easy to me, however, Mr.A and Ms.Jen really helped me get the good grades I needed and

E. Solis

Breakthrough Learning Center provides an environment that fosters continual growth and improvement for each student that walks through the door. I began my tutoring sessions with BLC the summer before my freshman year of high school, and I

B. Enciso

I went to Breakthrough from 7th grade until the end of highschool. I am now in college pursuing a degree in Nursing. School is something that definitely did not come easy to

Ash. R.

I have been here for 2 years of high school career and I never felt like I was not part of there family. They’ve really thought me some life lessons that I could’ve never learn from outside. Throughout these years, not only they’ve helped me on my school work