I was born in metro-Detroit and spent much of my childhood in a rural north-central Kansas before returning to the Detroit area for high school. In college, I tutored biology, general chemistry and English and worked for three years as a teaching assistant helping students with biology, anatomy and physiology. It was through these experiences that I found I was passionate about teaching, and through my English coursework I found I was passionate about research. Upon graduation, I worked in clinical research in a private rheumatology practice, where my team worked on ground-breaking clinical drug trials and ultimately delivered new, efficacious therapies to patients suffering with rheumatic disease. Today, I work in research in complex congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiac surgery at C.S Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. My job involves applying the scientific knowledge gained in the classroom toward discovering new ways to improve clinical outcomes for children who have had congenital heart surgery. I've witnessed how the lessons learned in the classroom can be transformative to your life and the lives of others. As your tutor, I will work with you to make the learning process more understandable, manageable and fun. You will learn how to learn and create a mental scaffolding of concepts to build on for the rest of your life. It is my pleasure to serve on Varsity Tutors and I very much look forward to working with you and your family. Blake

I enjoy playing the trumpet, competitive powerlifting, cycling, running, swimming, reading and backpacking.