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Jonathan S.

HE_HIM • majoring in Mechanical Engineering • class of 2026

PRO TIP:

When evaluating whether a mentor would be a good match for your student keep in mind that the greatest leading indicator of success is how well a mentor and their mentee get along.


Questions to ask yourself:

  • Would the student find this person inspiring?
  • Do they share any interests, hobbies, or lived experiences?

EDUCATION

2016 - 2022 • West Lafayette Junior/Senior High SchoolWest Lafayette, Indiana
2022 - 2026 • Stanford UniversityStanford, California
I am passionate about mentoring students in the areas of Journalism, 6-8 Grade Science, Robotics / Electronics / CAD, Coding / Programming, Law / Government / Policy, Calculus, Precalculus / Trigonometry, Algebra II, Algebra I, Geometry, Pre-Algebra, K-5 Grade Math, Physics, and College Essay Writing.

Jonathan S. (IN A NUTSHELL)

I’m sure one of the first things your eyes jumped to on my bio page was that big burst of flame on my rightmost profile picture. To any concerned parent skimming my page – there is no need to worry – I’m no arsonist! In fact, I consider myself quite the opposite. While an arsonist might burn things down to destroy them, my area of expertise is in creating and building things. First and foremost, I consider myself a “maker.” Over the years, I have amassed a workshop full of tools and machines in my home basement where I have created all manner of mechanisms and contraptions, including a robotic submarine, a remote-controlled flying ornithopter, the wrist-mounted flamethrower that you saw above, and so much more. This passion for tinkering is what landed me on my path to pursue mechanical engineering at Stanford University. In college, I am a co-lead of a division of the Stanford Space Initiative – one of the most populated and highest-funded student organizations at Stanford, where I am leading a project to send autonomous, solar-powered rovers to Antarctica. Furthermore, I am also a student researcher in the cutting-edge Stanford Robotics Lab (SRL), where I am working on various high-level projects in robotics. 

Outside of these engineering pursuits, my other forte is in civics and government. I have been immensely politically engaged for much of my life. I was president of my high school’s competitive debate team, and I also worked as a legislative director on an environmental advocacy campaign where I met with countless senators, representatives, and other high-ranking government officials to push for cleaner environmental standards. At Stanford, I continue to take advanced courses in current events and political affairs, and I partake in several civics-related clubs and events on campus. I pride myself on being able to explain, teach, and discuss complicated political issues from a strictly unbiased and nonpartisan lens.

As a mentor for your child, I can guarantee one thing – I will make my teaching as immersive and engaging as can be. If I am tasked with teaching your child engineering, I can promise that your child and I will be creating fun engineering projects from scratch. If I am tasked with teaching your child civics and government, I’ll make sure to engage your child in challenging and thought-provoking questions that might not necessarily have the right answer. Even if I am tasked with teaching your child foundational academics like math or science, I can guarantee that I’ll be relating abstract concepts to real-world applications so that your child can see for themselves how math and science play into their everyday lives. I personally never learned very well from sitting in hour-long lectures with a rambling instructor – my most formative learning experiences were all from actively doing, not passively listening. I understand that is the best way to learn, and that is how I aim to teach.

Watch Jonathan S. break down a subject they’re passionate about.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Our mentorship sessions happen virtually over Zoom. It’s important to get a sense of how someone’s personality can come through on a video call. The best way to ensure your student is excited about learning is to have someone on the other side that they look forward to talking to.

Bay AreaStanford University I

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT (SO FAR)

I have gotten the fantastic opportunity to work in the Stanford Robotics Lab – one of the leading robotics labs in the world! As the only undergraduate in the lab, I am constantly being pushed to rapidly learn new skills and implement ideas with precision. Over the past 8 months I have spent in the lab, I have learned more than I ever thought possible; I have built a camera that is used by an underwater robot that explored the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, I have designed components on new cutting-edge robotic arms, and so much more.

See my lab's work at:

https://manips.sites.stanford.edu

FAVORITES

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FAVORITE ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr.

FAVORITE MOVIE

Everything Everywhere All At Once

FAVORITE ALBUM

The Lucky Ones by Pentatonix

Why did you choose your major?

Who is your greatest role model/mentor?

What advice would you give your middle or high school self?

What is a passion project you’re working on or have created in the past?

CAUSES I SUPPORT

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Confront the Climate Crisis

Former Legislative Director of Youth-Run Climate Advocacy Organization