Stephen is a dedicated educator with many years of experience, and his vast educational roles have developed his personal teaching pedagogy: an effective educator serves as not only a teacher but also a mentor, and is able to help cultivate a strong work ethic and a real knowledge and understanding of academic concepts by identifying the student's learning style, including strengths and areas of needed improvement.Stephen is currently the Founder and Director of SparkEd Academy, an educational institution dedicated to providing personalized, high-quality academic services in an ethical and caring manner. With an office based in the Carmel Valley area, SparkEd Academy has helped many students achieve academic success both in the classroom and on standardized tests. Students that Stephen has worked with personally in the past include over 200 students who achieved perfect scores on the SAT Math or ACT Math/Science sections and were accepted into the most prestigious universities and colleges in the country. Stephen’s work experience entails not only educating students in a positive manner, but also creating an environment in which other educators that he has recruited, trained, and managed can thrive and pursue their passion of teaching.In his previous role as the Dean of STEM at Summa Education, Stephen was instrumental in making the company one of the most recognized names in San Diego for test preparation and academic support. Recognizing the lack of quality test prep materials available to students, he oversaw the development of the mathematics and science curricula used in the various types of programs offered, focusing on creating realistic SAT and ACT standardized tests by throughly examining the content and format of official tests. He also served as an academic counselor, where he was able to positively guide college-bound teens and their parents in their educational endeavors.