Serena Van Engelenhoven
Meet Serena Van Engelenhoven - Expert Psychology, Statistics & Elementary Tutor
Serena Van Engelenhoven is an Eastern University graduate with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Spanish, graduating with an impressive 3.905 GPA. Residing in Arlington, she has a strong preference for working with students in the Alexandria and Arlington areas. Serena brings dedicated experience as a university teaching assistant, peer tutor, and elementary school educator. She is especially adept at applying research-based cognitive strategies to support diverse learners, explicitly including young adults with various learning disabilities.
Areas Of Expertise:
Psychology: Highly experienced in tutoring high school and college-level psychology. She has served as a university peer tutor and Teaching Assistant for specialized courses, including Cognitive Psychology, Biopsychology, Legal Psychology, and Research Methods.
Statistics: Experienced in tutoring foundational and advanced statistics, helping students translate complex data and research methods into digestible pieces.
Spanish Instruction: Holds a minor in Spanish with formal Spanish proficiency and is equipped to tutor Spanish from the elementary up to the intermediate level.
English Language Arts (ELA): Confident in teaching K-12 ELA, offering dedicated support in phonetics, reading, and writing.
Elementary Math: Highly capable and experienced in teaching foundational elementary math concepts to younger learners.
Grade Levels: Has no preference for grade level, explicitly offering comprehensive support for kindergarten through 6th grade, high school (11th-12th), college students, and adults.
Teaching Philosophy:
"I try to explain a concept in different ways and provide analogies and examples so students can understand the concept in a different context. I also use the self-reference effect, in which I help the student relate the concept to their personal life, this has been shown in psychological research to be one of the most effective strategies to help people learn."
What Makes Serena Special:
University Peer Tutor & TA: Served as a Teaching Assistant (Cognitive Psychology, Biopsychology, Research Methods) for 3 semesters and a Peer Tutor for nearly 2 years in Eastern University's Psychology Department. She translated complex class content into digestible pieces, hosted exam review sessions, and created study materials in line with research-based pedagogy.
Inclusive Education Experience: Worked as a teaching assistant at the Urban Promise elementary school in Camden, NJ for a semester. She also has specialized experience tutoring young adults with various learning disabilities.
Psychological Researcher & Department Assistant: Served as a Research Assistant in the Legal Psychology Research Lab, utilizing Qualtrics to build online surveys. She also worked as a Psychology Department Assistant, preparing class materials and reviewing online courses for inconsistencies.
Therapeutic Internship Experience: Interned at The Sparrow Fund, where she researched narrative therapy outcomes among adopted children, observed family counseling sessions, and assisted with planning an annual marriage retreat.
Dedicated Campus Leader: Held prominent leadership roles, including President of her university's Psi Chi Chapter, where she planned monthly events and facilitated community connections. As Student Chair of the Leadership Fellows Scholarship Program, she led board meetings and coordinated a 4-day orientation for incoming freshmen.
Education & Achievements:
B.A. in Psychology (Minor in Spanish), Eastern University (May 2026, 3.905 GPA).
High School Diploma, Steamboat Springs High School (May 2022).
Certifications & Training: Proficient in SPSS and Qualtrics; CITI and FERPA Trained.