Meet the Ardent Team
Founder & CEO
Dr. Li i has over twenty years of professional experience in designing and delivering innovative learning solutions and is a former professor and a published author.
Ardent Admissions Director
Mrs. Li
Mrs. Li oversees academic counseling for all Ardent Admissions students. Her expertise in navigating the admissions process has helped hundreds of students achieve their dream college.
Care Supervisor & Math Instructor
Ms. Lee
Ms. Lee was an Ardent parent turned dedicated staff member. She currently manages the Ardent Care team as well as teach elementary level Math Olympiad courses.
HR Lead & Admissions Coordinator
Ms. Jolin
Ms. Jolin leads Ardent's Human Resources department and is the coordinator for Ardent Admissions.
Office Manager
Mrs. Chen
Mrs. Chen manages the Northwood campus. She excels in ensuring the smooth functioning of our office operations while fostering a positive and productive atmosphere. She speaks English and Chinese.
Assistant College Counselor
Mr. Taimur
Mr. Taimur graduated from Harvard University and Duke University. Currently, he guides and assists Ardent Admissions scholars while he attends Stanford School of Medicine as an MD student.
Assistant College Counselor
Ms. Ying
Ms. Ying graduated from UCSD with degrees in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. She currently attends medical school at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. She helps Mrs. Li with college counseling.
Assistant College Counselor
Ms. Shannon
Ms. Shannon works with Mrs. Li to give students academic counseling. She has a Master's in Publishing from NYU and has worked with Penguin Random House Publishing.
Senior College Essay Editor
Mrs. Dahl
Bio coming soon!
​
​
​
​
Senior College Essay Editor
Mrs. Hamilton
With 10+ years experience as a writing coach, Mrs. Hamilton works with Admissions students on their college applications and essays. She has a Masters in Education from USC.
College Essay Editor
Ms. Delia
Ms. Delia earned her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and has worked with Ardent since 2021. She helps students craft personal statements for college applications.
College Essay Editor
Ms. Olivia
Ms. Olivia received her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University. She has written and edited for regional and national magazine publications for four years.
College Essay Editor
Mrs. Marshall
Mrs. Marshall has over 10 years of experience as an English teacher, ELA department chair, and freelance copywriter. She guides students through the admissions process.
Marketing Specialist
Ms. Kathy
Ms. Kathy graduated from UCI with a double major in International Studies and Literary Journalism. She also earned a MAT from USC. Currently, she teaches writing and math at Cabrillo Point Academy.
Math Instructor & Media Specialist
Mr. Ian
Mr. Ian is a UCI graduate in Math and has been teaching at Ardent since 2019. Students love his engaging and encouraging teaching style. He also has experience video editing.
Counseling Assistant & Tutor
Mr. Dillon
Mr. Dillon teaches math and assists with college application work at Ardent Academy. He is a current student at Yale University studying Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.
Biology Instructor
Mr. Kim
Mr. Kim has taught integrated science courses at Northwood High and has been teaching biology, chemistry, and environmental science at Arnold Beckman High School since 2012.
Biology Instructor
Mrs. Le
Mrs. Le is an Irvine native who currently teaches biology and physics at Legacy Magnet Academy. She previously taught AP Biology with great success at Beckman High School.
Biology Instructor & Tutor
Mr. Jedrick
Mr. Jedrick was a Regents Scholar at UCLA in Human Biology and Society. He is now pursuing a Master's in Molecular Sciences and Software Engineering at UC Berkeley.
Math/Science Instructor & Tutor
Mr. Ben
Mr. Ben is expected to earn his doctorate in chemical engineering in 2026. He is currently researching and teaching differential mathematics and engineering at UCI.
Science Olympiad Instructor
Ms. Lauren
Ms. Lauren is a proud former student of Ardent who now attends UPenn. She has extensive research experience and is an accomplished Science Olympiad team member and mentor.
Science Instructor
Mr. Shane
Mr. Shane is an incoming medical student to USC's Keck School of Medicine and has a B.S. in biomedical engineering. His interests include artificial intelligence and radiology research.
Medical Biology Instructor
Mr. Pranav
Mr. Pranav has been an Ardent Math Olympiad and Counseling student turned TA and Instructor. He attends Harvard University and teaches Medical Biology at Ardent Academy.
Chemistry Instructor
Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee has over 25 years of teaching experience and is currently a chemistry teacher and Chemistry Olympiad coach at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School.
Coding Instructor
Mr. Wie
Mr. Wie taught coding since 2008 and has been with Ardent since 2013. He previously taught at St. Margaret's Episcopal School for 15 years and is currently at Choate Rosemary Hall.
Coding Instructor
Mr. Andrew
Mr. Senkowski is a longtime teacher at Ardent and a UCLA graduate in Mathematics of Computation. When he's not teaching, he also works in full stack development and data analysis.
Math Instructor & Tutor
Mr. Leo
A double major in Applied Math and Statistics at UCLA with a Specialization in Computing, Mr. Leo has experience teaching and participating in notable math and science competitions.
English Instructor
Mrs. Kohn
Ms. Kohn has her MFA in Creative Writing and Literature and over 5 years of experience teaching in reading and writing. She was previously the editor for two fantasy/sci-fi YA novels.
English Instructor & Tutor
Ms. Jasmine
Ms. Jasmine is a UCLA graduate with two degrees in Applied Linguistics and English. Her research focuses on second language acquisition and has presented on accent discrimination.
Speech & Debate Instructor
Mr. Benjamin
Mr. Benjamin led his Speech & Debate team to National Semifinals in 2021. Since then, he continues to coach Speech & Debate enthusiasts of all ages and works as a tutor as well.
Math & Coding Tutor
Ms. Palvi
Ms. Palvi is pursuing Computer Science at UC Santa Barbara. She loves helping students not only improve but also get excited about learning about coding and technology.
English Instructor
Mrs. Banagas-Engelerdt
Also known as Mrs. B-E, she has been an English teacher for 25+ years and was previously awarded Northwood High Teacher of the Year and IUSD Teacher of the Year.
Coding Tutor
Mr. Devin
Mr. Devin is studying Computer Science at UC Irvine and teaches coding at Ardent. In his spare time, he has developed a portfolio of projects including games and educational tools.
Math & Coding Tutor
Mr. Liam
Mr. Liam was an undergraduate lab tutor for coding languages while studying Computer Science at UC Irvine. He enjoys helping students have their "light bulb" moment.
Math & Physics Tutor
Ms. Natalie
Ms. Natalie has a Bachelor's in Mathematics from UCSB and a minor in Science and Math Education. She was an math TA for two years at UCSB and tutor at Ardent since 2020.
​Math & English Tutor
Mr. Bret
Mr. Bret studies biological sciences at UC Irvine and has been a math tutor since high school. He appreciates growing as a learner along with his students.
Math & Science Tutor
Ms. Kombi
Ms. Kombi is a UCLA graduate who studied Psychobiology and Biochemistry. She has also completed 3 AA degrees and 1 AS degree while in high school.
Coding Tutor
Mr. Michael
Mr. Michael studies Computer Science at Georgia Tech and is passionate about the intersection of software and AI. He currently works at Ardent as a software engineer and coding tutor.
Math & Coding Tutor
Ms. Farah
Ms. Farah is an enthusiastic and experienced tutor who is currently studying Computer Science at UC Irvine.