PrepNow Tutor - Onika D.
A Californian trying to survive Massachusetts winters, Onika is a pharmacy intern working toward her doctor of pharmacy degree. She says “spending time in clinical research, direct patient care, and undergrad classrooms has taught me how to communicate complex ideas and tackle problems from different angles.” Onika graduated from University of California, Irvine with a bachelor's in biological sciences. She is currently enrolled at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where she is a doctoral student with a concentration in cancer research.
After undergrad, Onika immediately jumped into scientific research and education. She worked as a research assistant as well as a learning assistant and mentor, helping undergrads with organic chemistry. She gained hands-on clinical experience as a medical assistant and clinical research coordinator, where she worked on more than ten pediatric oncology trials. In addition to being an active pharmacy intern, Onika is also fully certified in pharmacy-based immunization delivery by the American Pharmacists Association.
Onika first fell in love with teaching at UC Irvine when she signed up to be a learning assistant for undergrad science classes. “Leading discussions, helping students through tricky questions, and teaching lab techniques made me realize how much I love that lightbulb moment when a challenging concept finally clicks,” she explains. Later, she moved to training new learning assistants, which added a new layer to her mentorship. “Watching everyone grow and build their confidence completely solidified my passion for education,” she says.
“My main goal as a tutor is to help students build real confidence, master smart study habits, and actually enjoy hitting their academic milestones,” Onika says. She is well versed in a number of STEM subjects. She has worked with general and organic chemistry students, helping them with both the subject matter and laboratory techniques. She has also tutored pre-calculus. Aside from the standard biology and physiology courses, Onika is also well versed in analytical reading and writing, as well as mathematics from algebra to statistics to multivariable calculus.
As a tutor, Onika doesn’t believe in “boring memorization.” She is patient, collaborative, and tailors her approach to how the student learns best. “I focus on building long-term confidence using the ‘See One, Do One, Teach One’ method: I show you, we do it together, and then you teach it back to me,” she explains. “It’s the ultimate way to make sure a concept actually sticks so you can crush your classes independently!”
Outside of work, Onika’s life is run by her two cats, Bumi and Zoomie! She takes them on walks and makes DIY enrichment activities for them. She also enjoys spending time with her family—especially her niece and nephew. For entertainment, Onika plays tennis and games on her Switch, attends concerts, and watches movies. She also loves to read and is currently tackling The Odyssey.
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