SAT/ACT Course Instructors
Robert Bennigsdorf
Robert is the owner and co-creator of CCPrep (along with his wonderful wife Nicole). Robert has been teaching at CCPrep full time since its creation in 2007. His strength in high school (earning ten 5’s on his AP exams, an SAT score of well over 2000 and subject test scores of 800 in Math 2 and 790 in Chemistry) fueled his desire to create a tutoring company aimed at helping students in all aspects of their high school academic experience. Robert has worked, both individually and through his classes, with well over 5,000 Orange County high school students.
Mariya
Mariya is a graduate of Pepperdine University’s Master of Arts program in Clinical Psychology. During her time as a graduate student, she maintained a 3.85 GPA and was a trainee at Pepperdine University’s renowned narrative therapy clinic. She is also an alumna of Concordia University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Creative Writing and Sociology. During her time at Concordia, Mariya was a leader in her school’s chapter of the Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity and a member of the Concordia Wind Orchestra. In addition to club and musical activities, she also conducted research in the field of psychology and had multiple works of poetry and short fiction published. Outside of school, Mariya is an MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist) trainee that provides therapy to adults, teens, and children. Mariya also holds a substitute teaching credential. It is Mariya’s goal to provide an individualized and enjoyable tutoring experience.
Sabrina Tran
Sabrina recently graduated cum laude from the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. In her undergraduate career, Sabrina volunteered in the Interventional Radiology department at the UCI Medical Center, researched bioluminescent imaging strategies in the Prescher Lab at UCI, and engineered fluorescent probes in the Shaner Lab at UCSD. Sabrina is now in her sixth year at CCPrep helping numerous students achieve their goal scores as a School Subject Tutor and SAT/ACT Tutor and Instructor. Her experiences working with over 300 students in both an individual and classroom setting taught her how to quickly assess a student’s needs, communicate information effectively, and, most importantly, motivate her students to learn. Currently, Sabrina is applying to medical school. In her free time, she loves to tend to her collection of houseplants, embroider, and watercolor with her friends over Zoom.
Joey Elmasri
Joey is a science teacher at Irvine High School. Joey is an Honors graduate from UCI with a Bachelors degree in Biological
Sciences, and returned to UCI for his teaching credential. He has earned honors for his exceptional grades during every quarter of his undergraduate career, In the process, he has also played an integral role as an Executive Board member of the Coptic (Egyptian) Club at UCI and a CCPrep tutor. Joey has been tutoring at CCPrep for over five years, including countless hours individually tutoring students preparing for the SAT and ACT exams and teaching classes.
SAT/ACT Tutors
Alisha Cerniglia
Alisha graduated from Aliso Niguel High School with valedictorian status and an academic GPA of 4.71. During high school, she took 10 AP courses, 5 honors courses, and scored a 1520 on the SAT and a 36 on the ACT. Alisha tutored at CCPrep her senior year in the subjects of AP Physics and math. She plans to attend UCSD in the fall with a regents scholarship to study mechanical engineering.
Dylan Tran
Dylan graduated Aliso Niguel High School with a GPA of 4.62. He plans to study biology at UCI in fall of 2018 in order to pursue his goal of becoming a psychiatrist. He has taken 13 AP and honors courses throughout high school, earning a 4 or 5 on all of them. Dylan was a captain of ANHS’s Dance Appreciation, where he performed in hip hop dance, and is also a first degree black belt in taekwondo. He has tutored all math up to AP Calculus BC and enjoys tutoring biology and English. Going into his second year as a CCPrep tutor, Dylan hopes to fulfill his passion of helping other students achieve their full potential.
Jenna Leland
Jenna graduated from El Toro High School while simultaneously graduating from Irvine Valley College Summa Cum Laude with her Associates degree. She finished with a GPA of 4.68 and earned a 32 on the ACT. She went on to graduate from UCLA with a B.S. in Cognitive Science and a Specialization in Computing. While at UCLA, Jenna worked as a research assistant and data manager for the BEAR Lab with the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and interned at the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization Program working with children with Autism. Jenna is currently attending graduate school in pursuit of her Masters in Occupational Therapy.
College Essay/Application Instructors
Jayne Ruane
Jayne is an Educational Consultant at CCPrep, specializing in college essays, applications, and planning. Prior to joining CCPrep, Jayne co-founded Higher Applications, a college planning company, giving her over 16 years of experience working with students and families throughout Orange County.
Prior to founding Higher Applications, Jayne has vast experience in management throughout various nonprofits in Orange County including UCI, Irvine Medical Center, Saddleback Community College District, Irvine Valley College, and South Coast Repertory. In addition to her other volunteer activities, Jayne has served on scholarship committees including UCLA Alumni, Hope through Housing, and The Irvine Company.
Jayne currently lives in Corona del Mar with her husband and pug puppy. She graduated cum laude from UCI with a BA in Drama and from the Anderson School at UCLA with an MBA. She has a Certificate of College Counseling from UCSD and is a professional member of IECA.
Shan Schumacher
Shan has over 16 years’ experience as an educational consultant and enjoys being a part of the CCPrep family. Along with Jayne Ruane, she developed the popular summer Essay and Application Course offered at CCPrep. Like so many of the faculty, Shan received her undergraduate degree at UCI. She also earned a Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD and a Masters of Science in Instructional Design from CSF. In her free time, Shan enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and playing with her grandchildren.