Meet Your ACE CAs

Our ACE CAs are graduate and professional students in the School of Engineering who are passionate teachers and intentional about fostering learning environments based on purposeful engagement, and inclusive teaching practices. ACE CAs are selected from a highly competitive applicant pool where they have successfully demonstrated content expertise, dedication to developing student belonging, and ability to implement inclusive teaching practices. 

Lead ACE CAs

Alka Panda | alkap@stanford.edu
Alka (she/her) is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department. Born and raised in India, Alka, moved to the US in 2016 to pursue her BS in Aerospace Engineering at Virginia Tech. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate career, Alka has received immeasurable support from amazing mentors and now she tries to be that support for underclassmen. She has been an ACE CA for Math 19, 20 and CME 100 and hopes to bring the perspective of an experienced CA as well as an international student to the the role of Lead ACE CA. Alka believes it is an educator's responsibility to make sure that a student thrives in a classroom, engages with the material and meets the learning objectives of a class. She believes continued lack of equity in education in higher education can harm a student's career trajectory and hope that through ACE, students find a space to voice their doubts, questions and concerns that might be hindering them in their primary lectures. Outside of ACE and research, you can find Alka binging kdramas, reading books, cooking or exploring Costco.

Teaching Philosophy: When students join my class I am quite honest with them and let them know that I am here to support them and get them across the finish line. I focus heavily on the fundamentals and building early concepts and try to connect topics taught later in class to them. I often give a big picture view of what topics they can expect to see come up again in the classes they will take next and their real world applications. Most importantly, I try to create a judgement-free zone in my classes as well as in my office hours so students feel comfortable asking questions.

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Bryant Perkins | bperk25@stanford.edu
Bryant Perkins (he/him) is a coterminal Master’s student studying computer science with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction. He completed his BS also in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and is passionate about designing immersive experiences for educational technologies. Throughout his time at Stanford, Bryant has benefited from the guidance of mentors and peers, and he now works to provide that same support for others navigating their academic and professional paths. Before his role as an ACE Lead CA, Bryant was a Section Leader for CS106A and CS106B for all 4 years of his undergrad and was the instructor for CS106B for the Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA). Coming from a low-income and under-resourced background, he feels strongly that representation in the classroom is essential. He values creating spaces where students feel comfortable asking questions, learning from their peers, and finding the support they need to thrive. Outside of academics and research, Bryant enjoys DJing, singing with his a cappella group, reading, and learning languages.

Teaching Philosophy: I want everyone to feel comfortable participating and contributing. I recognize that it can sometimes feel intimidating to speak up in front of your peers, but I hope to create an environment where students feel encouraged to learn from one another and explore ideas together. I believe learning through examples and active practice is especially important. I emphasize that there are no “silly” questions and we can always work through the details and get to the bottom of a problem if time allows. I like to use metaphors and analogies to make abstract ideas more approachable, and I incorporate a variety of exercises to connect with different learning styles. Whenever possible, I enjoy making the material more hands-on to help students engage directly and build confidence.

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Math ACE CAs

Math 19ACE CAs

Jeewoo Choi | Math 19ACE CA | jchoi23@stanford.edu
Jeewoo Choi (he/him) is a Mechanical Engineering Coterm at Stanford University. He finished his BS in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford in 2024 and is looking forward to his last year on campus. As a freshman, Jeewoo took a Math ACE and was inspired by his CA to start his own tutoring service. Through volunteer organizations, tutoring companies, and his own tutoring firm, Jeewoo has been teaching for over 8 years now and gained a knack for teaching fun and engaging math classes. Jeewoo's excited to come full circle by returning to ACE as a CA, hoping that he could inspire his students just as his CA had during his freshman year.

Teaching Philosophy: Jeewoo respects and acknowledges a variety of different learning styles found at Stanford and is looking forward to seeing how his teaching experience could help cater to these different styles. He believes that strong communication, empathetic connections, and fun learning experience are the essential pillars to effective teaching and instruction. By taking time to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and preferences of his students, Jeewoo will be able to teach his classes in a way that will maximize comprehension and learning. In Jeewoo's classes, students can expect to learn efficiently and comprehensively in a fun, patient, and exciting environment for everyone.

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John Felix | Math 19ACE CA | johnflx@stanford.edu John (he/him) is a coterminal master’s student studying Bioengineering. He recently completed his B.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford, and his academic/research interests focus on synthetic biology and environmental applications of bioengineering. As a first-generation, low-income (FLI) student, mentorship and community played incredibly important roles in his experience navigating engineering at Stanford. He has worked as an RA and mentor for the Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA) and Summer Bridge Program, supporting incoming FLI students and those from underrepresented backgrounds as they navigate their time here. He has also had involvement with organizations on campus including SOLE and BioJam. He has a strong passion for giving back to the communities that supported him and is committed to creating inclusive spaces to help future students thrive. In his free time, he enjoys listening to and sharing music, board/card games, and watching reality competition shows.

Teaching philosophy: My priority is to create a safe, inclusive, and collaborative learning environment for students. I want my students to be able to work through problems together and have discussions where everyone feels comfortable and supported as they learn. My goal is for them to feel not only supported by me as an instructor, but also by one another, fostering a sense of community within the classroom. I also plan on building individual relationships with my students so I can learn how to best support them and their individual needs. I believe strongly that every student, regardless of their background, has the ability to succeed in these courses, and I want to ensure that my students believe that for themselves as well.

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Math 20ACE CA

Eric Zhao | Math 20ACE CA | erzhao@stanford.edu
Eric Zhao (he/him) is a second-year Master's student in the Aeronautics & Astronautics department, currently researching high-temperature gas dynamics in supersonic and hypersonic flows. He received his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. During his undergraduate studies, he discovered his passion for teaching while serving as an undergraduate student instructor for introductory calculus courses. His time as a student instructor motivated him to become an ACE CA and share his love of engineering with the next generation of students. In his free time, Eric enjoys playing badminton, watching movies, and reading.

Teaching Philosophy: I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where my students can succeed. I enjoy having open discussions and encouraging students to collaborate and talk with one another when they have questions. I value building strong individual relationships with my students and cultivating a friendly classroom community where everyone feels supported. I believe that every student has the ability to succeed and may simply need some guidance. I want to pay forward the instruction and advice my mentors have given me by providing the same support to my own students.

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Sylvia Chin | CME 100ACE CA | sylc@stanford.edu
Sylvia Chin (she/her) is a coterminal master’s student in Electrical Engineering, with interests in digital systems and signal processing. She earned her undergraduate degree at Stanford, also in Electrical Engineering, focusing on the Hardware/Software track. During her time as an undergraduate, Sylvia was an active leader in the Society of Women Engineers and nurtured her passion for teaching through various tutoring and research programs. She is excited to join the ACE community to support incoming students as they build a strong foundation in STEM and to help foster a collaborative, inquisitive environment where questions are encouraged. In her free time, Sylvia enjoys playing intramural volleyball and making music.

Teaching Philosophy: I believe that students of all learning styles deserve ample opportunities to ask questions and to engage with foundational concepts in ways that suit them best. My goal is to create an open, collaborative learning environment where students can learn from both the material and one another. Bring your questions and a can-do attitude—I’m confident that every student can grow and discover something new. I strongly encourage active participation and curiosity in the classroom.

Math 21ACE CA

Emma Cruz | Math 21ACE CA | emmacruz@stanford.edu
Emma Cruz (she/her) is a coterminal student in computer science on the AI track, with a particular interest in medical robotics. She is incredibly excited to be returning for her second year as a Math 21ACE CA. Her bachelor's degree was in mathematics, and she spent several quarters as a tutor for Math 19/20/21 through SUMO and the Athletic Academic Resource Center (AARC) in undergrad. Emma enjoys teaching math in general, but she especially loves the material from Math 21 and is hoping her sections can make the class feel a bit more manageable. Outside of the classroom, Emma plays on Stanford’s rugby team and also likes bouldering and baking.

Teaching Philosophy: In my sections, I will attempt to reinforce and supplement the lectures with the main goal of helping my students understand why we approach a problem or concept in a certain way. I work with students to look for common patterns that keep showing up across questions and throughout the course to make some of the difficult questions seem less mysterious. Overall, I recognize that although students are going to come into this course with varied math backgrounds and different motivation for why they want to take these classes in the first place, almost everyone will feel that the math courses at Stanford are much more challenging than their high school math classes. With this in mind, I encourage students to reach out to me at any point in the quarter, and I am hoping to create a supportive and low-pressure environment where people are unafraid to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn with and from their peers.

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Math 51ACE CAs

Matthew Villescas | Math51ACE CA | mattjv22@stanford.edu 
Matthew (he/him) is a first-year graduate student studying computer science at Stanford University, specializing in cybersecurity. When he was a Stanford undergraduate, he also majored in computer science on the artificial intelligence track and pursued minors in both mathematics and creative writing respectively. His motivations to be an ACE CA (particularly for CS161) were a love of teaching, passion for algorithms, and a vision that math could be just as warm and inspiring as the fine arts.

Teaching Philosophy: Algorithms are what made me fall in love with computer science, which makes me excited to help teach them; however, they lean on the mathier side, which induces a lot of anxiety surrounding what appears to be cold numbers and procedure. My teaching paradigm is motivated by finding the humanity in mathematics: mistakes and all! With so many students bringing a breadth of both life and academic experiences, I seek to encourage collaboration, new viewpoints, and to collectively uncover a path through the mystery of algorithms.To that end, I will emphasize honing problem solving skills through dialogue, group practice, and much much trial and error! When we see these crazy equations, we might forget that a human wrote them down. But since all of us are human, that gives us a great start to not only understand what’s before us but to be elevated by our fellow classmates!

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Connie Hong | Math51ACE CA | conniehg@stanford.edu 
Connie Hong (she/her) is a coterminal MS&E student at Stanford, specializing in computational social sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Data Science at Stanford, where she also spent time conducting research in algorithmic fairness. Connie aims to continue further exploring these interests, with a focus on developing trustworthy and socially aligned AI technologies. ACE & TA sections served as a formative part of her experiences with introductory courses at Stanford, and she is thus excited to give back to the ACE & teaching community and continue to motivate others to pursue STEM!

Teaching Philosophy: Building intentional communities and fostering mentor-peer/peer-peer relationships has been a key part of my Stanford experience, whether it be in academic and cultural settings. As such, this value of community-building—i.e. creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, learning together, and discovering their potential—serves as the guiding principle for my teaching philosophy. I want students to feel empowered to bring their own questions and unique approaches to the table, in order to strengthen their mathematical intuition and problem solving skills!

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CME ACE CAs

CME 102ACE CA

Sebastian Colondres-Torres | CME 102ACE CA | sebcolon@stanford.edu
Sebastian Colondres (he/him) is a second-year graduate student (coterm) in the Mechanical Engineering program at Stanford University. He completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford as well, earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. During his time as an undergraduate, Sebastian was deeply involved in leadership and community building, serving as President, Vice President, and Social Chair of SOLE, Stanford’s chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Sebastian’s academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of manufacturing, design, and accessibility. He has pursued internships with Tesla and Nike, where he gained hands-on experience in process optimization, tooling design, and large-scale factory systems. More recently, his work has expanded to socially impactful engineering, including developing cost-effective wheelchair mechanisms in Tanzania. These experiences continue to shape his passion for creating technologies that are both innovative and equitable.

Beyond academics, Sebastian is an explorer who enjoys the wilderness through camping and hiking. He also finds joy in traveling, with some of his most meaningful memories (studying abroad in Florence) tied to international experiences that blended personal growth and global perspective. Sebastian was motivated to become an ACE CA because of the transformative mentorship he received as an undergraduate. Having experienced firsthand the impact of supportive learning communities, he hopes to provide that same encouragement to current students. His goal as an ACE CA is to empower students to approach engineering challenges with confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging in the field.

Teaching philosophy: My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that inclusion is essential for meaningful learning. Every student enters the classroom with unique strengths, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, and I see it as my role to create an environment where all voices are valued and all questions are welcomed. Inclusion is not only about access, but also about building a space where students feel a genuine sense of belonging, where their identities are respected, and where they are encouraged to bring their full selves to the learning process. In practice, this means approaching teaching as a collaborative process. I prioritize active learning, where students learn not only from me, but also from each other. I design discussions and problem-solving activities that allow multiple perspectives to emerge, and I strive to highlight how different approaches can lead to equally valid solutions. My goal is to encourage students to see challenges as opportunities for growth rather than barriers.

Students in my ACE course can expect a supportive, interactive, and community-oriented space. I emphasize patience, empathy, and clarity, making sure to slow down and revisit concepts as often as needed. I also believe in transparency and being honest about the difficulties of engineering while reminding students that persistence and collaboration lead to success. Ultimately, I want students to leave ACE not only with stronger technical skills but also with the confidence that they belong in engineering. By fostering inclusion, I hope to empower them to continue exploring, questioning, and growing as both scholars and people.

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CS ACE CAs

CS 100B ACE CA

Elisabeth Holm | CS100B ACE CA | eholm@stanford.edu
Elisabeth (she/her) is a coterminal student pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science on the AI track. Her B.S. was also in Computer Science, specializing in AI, with a minor in biology. She is particularly interested in computer vision and our ability to interpret the world through sensors. Elisabeth has been an ambassador and advocate for girls in STEM for 10 years, most prominently as the founder of the Sisterhood of Native American Coders (SONAC). The 501c3 nonprofit teaches Indigenous girls ages 9-12 how to code and mentors them along their STEM journeys in an effort to address the disparities in opportunities to learn and inspire the next generation of female innovators. Now, she’s excited to help Stanford students in a similar way through ACE – working to level the playing field and help students from all backgrounds build confidence and mastery in new concepts. Outside of the classroom, Elisabeth enjoys rock climbing, rugby, playing guitar, and painting.

Teaching Philosophy: I aim to create a low-stakes, inclusive environment where students can grow together and embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn. I believe that the classroom is a place where students can play with new concepts and use collaboration to overcome challenges. In my section, students can expect a concept review to reinforce the most important ideas from lecture, additional practice problems that we’ll work through both in small groups and as a class, and strategies for approaching different types of problems effectively. Of course, I understand that people have different learning styles and preferences, so I’ll adjust section each week based on the needs and feedback that students share through a check-in form. My goal is for students to leave each session with greater confidence, concrete problem-solving tools, and a stronger sense of belonging in the STEM community.

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CS 103ACE CA

Evelyn Yee | CS103ACE CA | yeevelyn@stanford.edu
Evelyn (they/them) is a second-year ACE CA and MS student in computer science. For undergrad, they studied at UC San Diego, graduating in data science and a minor in linguistics. Evelyn's past research experience was in explainability of LLM chain of thought, and in the future, they are looking to apply their technical knowledge to improve policy and organizational issues around AI research, development, and deployment. In ACE, Evelyn hopes to create a welcoming, supportive environment to help all students build confidence and excel through their degrees. Outside of school/work, Evelyn loves to cook and bake, social dance, and annoy their roommate's cat, Mochi.

Teaching Philosophy: I believe that learning should be student-driven and centered around discussion. Though I enjoy nerding out about math and CS topics, students are my first priority, bar none. Through ACE sections, office hours, and quarterly check-ins, I want to make sure that I am on the same page as all my students and meeting their needs. In these small classroom settings, I strongly encourage student participation, and I am always open to feedback to make my sections more engaging, affirming, and, most importantly, helpful!

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CS 106ACE CA

Eban “Ebbi“ Ebssa | CS 106ACE CA | eebssa@stanford.edu
Eban “Ebbi“ Ebssa (she/her, pronounced ebb-on) is a coterminal master’s student in Computer Science, pursuing her undergraduate degree in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Computational Social Science. She enjoys learning languages, whistling, reading her Bible, swimming, collecting keychains, and trying new fruits.Having experienced the positive learning community ACE sections provided her in large STEM courses herself, Ebbi was inspired to give back as an ACE Course Assistant. Since her sophomore year, she has been involved with the CS 198 program, working part-time as a Section Leader for six quarters. She also taught computer science at the Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA) for two summers, first as a TA and later as lead instructor developing custom assignments and activities. Years earlier, she had been an SSEA student herself, where she formed some of her closest friendships. She considers herself fortunate to have been involved in the learning journeys of so many students, and enjoys staying in touch with her former students. She is excited and honored to be an ACE CA.

Teaching Philosophy: I care about fostering a learning environment where everyone encourages each other. Real growth and resilience happens when we take the time to struggle up the learning curve. Specifically for computer science courses, it’s easy to feel like the goal is just to “get the code to work” or “pass all the test cases.” In our CS 100ACE sections, we'll focus more on the process of problem-solving and conceptual understanding of why the code works, rather than just aiming for the green check marks.I am intentional in designing collaborative activities that encourage discussion and peer teaching. Students can expect to learn from one another as much as from me. My class sessions start off with clear learning goals to give structure, and I like to use plenty of analogies to help make tricky lecture concepts easier to grasp. I hope that by learning together, students not only grow academically but also build friendships that continue beyond the classroom.

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CS 107ACE CA

Isabel Berny | CS 107ACE CA | iberny@stanford.edu
Isabel Berny (she/her) is a coterminal master’s student currently studying Computer Science, with a focus on Computer and Network Security, following her undergraduate degree in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Cognitive Science. Her computer science journey at Stanford began when she took CS 106B and CS 106B ACE her freshman fall. Motivated by the tremendous support and encouragement she received from her ACE CA, she then went on to take CS 107 and CS 107 ACE the following quarter, despite feeling very intimidated by the course’s legacy. Here, her passion for computer science blossomed. Though the course was very tough and she had many moments of struggle, she felt that every hour of work she put into the class had meaning and helped her feel like a real programmer by the end. This positive experience was especially influenced by the immense dedication of her ACE CA in making sure everyone felt confident in their ability to overcome the challenges presented. Throughout many more quarters of CS courses and their accompanying ACE classes, she always looked back fondly at her time in CS 107 and wanted to be able to help others, as her ACE CAs went out of their way to help her. After six quarters of section leading for CS 106A/B, she is SO excited to now be able to give back to CS 107 and the ACE community directly by being the CS 107 ACE CA, and she hopes that you will trust in her to potentially help make CS 107 one of your favorite classes, too!

Teaching Philosophy: Isabel’s teaching philosophy is grounded in her belief that anyone, no matter their background, can excel in any difficult course, as long as they are provided enough support and are willing to put in the work to take advantage of that. For her ACE classes, she aims to make each session a comfortable and inviting place where students can clarify misunderstandings, openly ask questions, learn from one another, and have fun through it all! Through many practice problems, thorough explanations about each concept, and teaching catered to each students’ needs, she hopes that every student will feel confident about all of the course material and enjoy their learning experiences.

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CS 109ACE CA

Javokhir Arifov | CS 109ACE CA | javokhir@stanford.edu
Javo (he/him) is pursuing a Coterminal Master's in Computer Science, and he just completed his Bachelor's in Linguistics at Stanford University. He cares about the interplay of language, technology, and society, with a particular focus on the integration of AI in government. His research at Stanford’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab (RegLab) has examined the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) in judicial decision-making and legal information retrieval. He has been teaching computer science for almost three years, and he absolutely cannot get enough joy from watching his students succeed. He also wants to give back to the vibrant ACE community, which has made him feel welcome in Computer Science all the way from 107 to 161. Javo grew up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Nashville, Tennessee. In his free time, find him cycling around the bay, hopping between restaurants, or 3D printing bits and bobs.

Teaching Philosophy: I’ve been given an incredible opportunity to flourish as a student with time, patience, and care afforded to me by my own teachers, in ACE sections and beyond. I believe that this same patience and care can turn anyone into a talented Computer Scientist, and I hope to give both the time and the space for my own students to discover their abilities. In my classroom, expect to openly collaborate between your peers and expect to freely ask a lot of questions.

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CS 111ACE CA

Fabio Ibanez | CS 111ACE CA | fabioi@stanford.edu
Fabio Ibanez (He/Him) is a coterm pursuing his Master’s in Computer Science on the Artificial Intelligence track. He did his undergrad at Stanford where he studied CS on the Systems track, and did research in systems security and improving algorithms for video search. Outside of Stanford, Fabio has worked across various industries spanning finance, aerospace systems, and semiconductors. Most recently Fabio worked at NVIDIA as a systems software engineer. By far the most formative experience in Fabio’s undergrad experience was discovering his passion for teaching and education. He started as a section leader for CS106A/B, and then had the opportunity to lecture CS106L, a student-run course on Standard C++ Programming, for two years. This time around, he's excited to be a part of the ACE program, which played a major role in his experience within core CS classes. CS111ACE is especially meaningful to him: it's where he formed some of his strongest friendships and really connected with the material. In his free time, Fabio enjoys going to the gym, exploring the Bay, and hanging out at coffee shops!

Teaching Philosophy: I care deeply about fostering community within the classroom, I think that's what creates an environment full of creativity, collaboration, and genuine enjoyment. When I reflect on the environments where I've been most successful, it's always been the ones where I felt comfortable asking questions. In my ACE class you can expect to have an opportunity to collaborate with peers, ask a lot of questions, and possibly catch mandarins!

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CS 161ACE CA

Auddithio Nag | CS161ACE CA | aunag@stanford.edu
Auddithio Nag (he/him) is currently an M.S. candidate in Computer Science specializing on the AI track, having completed his B.S. in Computer Science on the same track with a minor in Biology. His current academic and research interests are in cognitively-inspired computer vision and 3D understanding, and he can often be found squinting at his laptop trying to debug some model he is currently working on. Outside classes, Auddithio loves teaching through the section leading program at Stanford, singing a cappella at Stanford Talisman, attending arts shows with friends, and, very occasionally, cooking. Hailing from Bangladesh, Auddithio found many friends through the ACE courses at Stanford, and wishes to build such a community in his class to encourage and uplift his students.

Teaching Philosophy: My goal is to instill in students the confidence that they can complete their own learning journey, regardless of their background. To that end, I hope to use the ACE section as an opportunity to reinforce the theoretical concepts learnt from CS161, and learn how to apply them to problems that show up in homeworks and exams. I strive to create an environment that is interactive, engaging and open to feedback at any and all times. By the end of the course, I hope students will have a strong grasp of the content we cover in CS161, and learn to appreciate the elegance and beauty of algorithmic design.

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