Scott Fallstrom
STEM Learning Centers Faculty Coordinator (math), x6501
Scott Fallstrom is the Faculty Coordinator of the STEM Learning Centers (math) and as an active member of the math department, he typically teaches 1-2 courses per semester. Scott earned a bachelor's degree with an emphasis on secondary math education and an M.S. in pure mathematics from Eastern Washington University. During his 20+ years in education, he has taught at 5 community colleges and 3 universities across 3 states. Prior to coming to MiraCosta College, Scott served as the math education coordinator and assistant undergraduate advisor for 6 years at the University of Oregon, where he won the Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2011. He is the lead author on two textbooks for MiraCosta College courses and is proud to provide PDF access at no charge to students, and one of the co-facilitators of the Chancellor's Office Statistics Institute. Scott enjoys working with the community and has been the coordinator of the Oceanside Unified School District annual chess tournament for the past 5 years. When not working, he relaxes with family time at home, cycling, reading, and (of course) video games.
Christina (Tina) Johnson
STEM Learning Center Faculty Coordinator (sciences)
Tina is the Faculty Coordinator for the STEM Learning Center (sciences). As the coordinator, Tina serves as the liaison between the STEM Learning Center and MiraCosta Faculty. She is also involved in mentoring of STEM staff and tutors as well as coordinating events and speakers for the STEM Learning Center. Tina is a professor of chemistry and teaches 2-3 courses a semester. She mainly teaches the general chemistry and introduction to chemistry courses. Tina earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, with a minor in Zoology, at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. She and her husband moved to San Diego after graduating from BYU, where she earned her M.S. and Ph.D in Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. After a short post-doc Tina was hired at UCSD as a full time lecturer and eventually received continuing (tenure) status. After 14 years of teaching roughly 900 students a quarter she needed a change and discovered the best place to teach, MiraCosta College! Tina enjoys volunteering at her children’s schools and is currently the president of the San Marcos High School Music Boosters. When not working, she loves to spend time with her family, hiking, surfing, camping and watching movies..
Amy Paopao
Operations Manager, Learning Centers
Amy is the Operations Manager of The Learning Centers (TLC) and enjoys connecting students to the free, friendly services the centers provide. She admires the dedication and success of students in achieving their goals, including the student tutors and desk staff she gets to work with. Amy is an alumnus of UCSD who spends her spare time with family and likes swimming, being a goofball, and eating just about any food…except peas, unless they are smashed in soup with a lot of ham.
Amber
An alumna of University of California San Diego, Amber engages in lead work direction to MiraCosta College STEM Learning Center tutors, including design, implementation, training, and evaluative academic support with foci on chemistry and physics; her specific interests relate to quantum informatics and ancillary emergent technologies, balancing human and humanoid interface. Amber has a Master of Science and completed an invited fellowship under the collaborative aegises of UC Berkeley and the National Science Foundation, with emphasis geared toward STEM faculty learning and training. Extracurricular pastimes include, but are not limited to, the following: Amber is heavily invested, personally and professionally, in furtherance of the mission to disseminate STEM competencies and andragogy toward humanity’s betterment and technological r/evolution; Disneyana; rock climbing (aspiring rock star); utilizing her chemistry skills to create and bake the best secret ingredient lemon squares in the galaxy.
Andrew
Operations Supervisor, Academic Support & Innovations (ASI)
As a the Operations Supervisor of ASI, Andrew coordinates and provides supervision for the everyday operations of ASI. Andrew earned a B.S. in Biology from CSUSM in 2018 and is currently working on a Nutrition degree. As an undergraduate, he was fortunate enough to gain laboratory research experience and is a published co-author in an alligator growth study under Dr. John Eme. Additionally, he has worked in the Biotechnology field, specializing in medical device manufacturing. In his free time, Andrew enjoys watching Jeopardy and spending time with family.
Ashleigh
Ashleigh has worked at MiraCosta since 2008 in various roles within TASC, SI, Bridge, and the MLC for the longest. She has a bachelor's degree in Math from CSUSM and is currently working on a master's degree in Mathematics Education at SDSU. Ashleigh enjoys tutoring because knowledge is for everyone and it is very rewarding to see that light bulb go off in a student's head, especially if they have been struggling to understand a concept or topic. In her free time, Ashleigh enjoys pour paintings, yoga, and walking her dogs. She hopes to see you drop by the MLC!
Bertha
Operations Supervisor, STEM Learning Centers (math)
Bertha received a B.A. in Mathematics at UCSD and completed the MATS program at SDSU. One of the things they like most about working in the STEMLC is how dynamic the center is: from tutoring a student on fundamentals to mentoring an apprentice tutor on communication, to collaborating on a workshop with the Coaching team. Bertha truly enjoys the STEM community we're building! In their free time, you'll find Bertha playing soccer, kickball or trying to catch up on movies.
Carl
Carl is a Learning Coach who tutors biology and assists in the daily operations of the STEM Learning Center. He also assisted in the start-up of the center. Carl holds a B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Physics from The Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In his previous career, Carl was a co-founder and the CEO of a biotechnology instrumentation manufacturing company that was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Silicon Valley. In his free time, Carl enjoys studying Hebrew and researching the healing properties of sound.
Christopher
Christopher is a Learning Coach who primarily focuses on tutoring Computer Science, mentoring tutors, and assisting in the day-to-day operations of the STEM Learning Center. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from CSUSM and is actively completing CSUSM’s M.S. in Computer Science program. Christopher enjoys researching better ways to teach Computer Science topics, exploring ways to bring more practical/meaningful experiences into the classroom, and developing educational software to help students better understand concepts. In his free time, Christopher enjoys playing/designing games, cooking, creative writing, and watching movies.
Gerardo
Gerardo is a Learning Coach at the STEM Learning Center and tutors physics and astronomy. Gerardo enjoys teaching and is currently teaching a couple of science courses at the Community Learning Center. Gerardo obtained a B.S. in Astronomy and an M.S. in Physics from San Diego State University. In his free time, Gerardo enjoys playing card games, hiking, reading, and playing music.
Ian
As a transplant from the Land of Enchantment, Ian earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of New Mexico (Go Lobos!). He enjoys discussing calculators and Desmos demonstrations. You will never see him shy away from food with a significant Scoville count. In his free time, you'll find Ian playing board games, card games, dice games, video games, and pickleball.
Juan
Juan earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics from UC San Diego and is currently finishing a Master's in Computational Science from UCSD. He likes tutoring because he keeps learning different ways to approach/solve math problems from students and gets a bit of insight into how people think and learn. His favorite subject to tutor is Linear Algebra. In his free time, he likes watching funny variety shows and reading short stories.
Marlesha
Marlesha is an East County San Diego native but relocated to Spokane, WA in 2004 to earn her Bachelor of Sciences degree in Mathematics from Gonzaga University. Upon realizing that long winters with snow were not for her, she returned to sunny San Diego in 2009. Before joining MiraCosta’s Math Learning Center in 2015, Marlesha previously worked in a completely different field as a bird keeper. She trained at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, UT, and worked in all three divisions of San Diego Zoo Global: the Zoo, the Safari Park, and the Institute for Conservation Research. Birds continue to be an important part of her life, now in the form of her beloved pet chickens, pigeons, and more!
Maryam
Maryam is a Learning Coach in the MLC and started working at MiraCosta College in January 2015. She has a degree in physics which was obtained in Iran from the Sharif University of Technology. Due to the coronavirus, she picked up some hobbies such as going biking on the weekends for long trips and short trips on weekdays, and also baking bread. Maryam also enjoys being a couch potato and watching comedy movies.
Momo
As a Learning Coach at the Math Learning Center, Momo helps with math including High School Math and assist in daily operations of the center. She earned a B.S degree in Applied Mathematics Scientific emphasis from the University of Idaho and an A.A.S degree in Women’s Physical Education from BYU-Idaho. She is married and has moved 16 times and lived in 12 different cities. In almost every place, she has helped tutor math. Momo enjoys gardening, communicating with her grandkids online, and seeing “a-ha” moments with the students she tutors.
Shital
As an MLC Learning Coach, Shital tutors many math courses, but her favorite courses to tutor are trigonometry and pre-calculus. Shital earned her B.S. degree in Mathematics from California State University San Marcos and believes that even if you are proficient in a subject, the art of tutoring requires us to be patient and have the ability to motivate others. As a tutor, she also believes that tutor intervention can steer students in the right direction and help them become successful learners. For this reason, she has enjoyed tutoring students for the last ten years at MCC. During her free time, she loves to garden and spend quality time with her family.
Skylar
Operations Supervisor, STEM Learning Centers (sciences)
Skylar has a B.S. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from SDSU and an A.S. in Forensic Technology from Grossmont College. She has been working in education for a little over ten years in a wide range of contexts with students from all different backgrounds. She loves tutoring because she gets the opportunity to truly meet students where they are and have meaningful conversations about their educational journeys, not just content. She also loves the problem-solving aspect of trying to figure out which techniques work with different students to help them connect with difficult material. In her free time, Skylar likes to read, spend time in nature, and do crafty things like crochet and paint. She also has a feisty 7-year-old and 2 cats that like to keep her on her toes!
Thy
Thy got a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Cal State San Marcos and an Associate's in Math from MiraCosta. Her favorite courses to tutor are calculus and trigonometry. Thy says, "The best thing about tutoring is that you know you are making a positive difference in at least one person's life." She loves to tutor others because it allows her to connect with others and be a part of their academic journey. She enjoys every "a-ha moment" she has encountered when tutoring. Overall, tutoring is such a rewarding experience! In her free time, Thy likes to go on long road trips and partake in outdoor activities.
