English Press
Midweek
Prepping Ivy League Students
In 2013, I established ivy Prep Academy (IPA) in Honolulu after educating Asian-Pacific students for more than 25 years.
However, my first tutorial institution began in 1992 and resulted in the launch of The Sun Academy High School, which I founded in 1998. Unfortunately, it was short-lived and due to a decline in student enrollment, it closed in 2001.
This was a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity to travel in the U.S. and share my expertise in math and English with hundreds in Asian communities. My work quickly evolved in the college, high school and elementary levels.
I began to receive repeated requests for assistance and began to ponder a tutoring re-establishment. The present IPA became the answer.
A majority of my students are children of first-generation Asian immigrants or nationals living the U.S. Therefore, the tutorial methods used are focus-driven with highly qualified and competent tutors in a on-to-one or two-to-one setting.
Ivy Pre Academy instructor Jonathan Wong works on SAT chemistry with 17-year-old James Lee of McKinely Highschool
Anthony Consillio Photos
The sole purpose and mission of IPA is to prepare all students to achieve excellence through various national tests. The ACT and SAT are two of a few tests tutored daily at Ivy Prep.
A rigorous summer program for learning that includes credit recovery, E-school, SSAT, PSAT, ACT and SAT also is offered.
Class sizes never exceed five students, and usually spots in the summer fill up extremely quickly. Many families fly their children out from Japan, Korea and China to attend.
I am utterly loyal to my commitment in giving all students the opportutnity to attain a college eduction at the highest level.
My ultimate belief in students that come in is to establish a sense of urgency for them to attend Ivy Leagues as much as possible. IPA is modeled in the same way with higher standards and caring attitude.
IPA has quickly tended to these IVY League goals in just two years since its inception. Already, students have been accepted into colleges like Harvard, Stanford, New York University and Purdue. Other students have garnered notable recognition for receiving almost-perfect scores on the SAT.
This has been a major accomplishment in such a short time, and one can only imagine the astounding admittance in grouth for Asian students who humbly aspire to the “American dream.”
For more information on Ivy Prep Academy, visit ivyprepacademy.net
Midweek
PRODUCING IVY LEAGUE STUDENTS
Sun Lee, principal and director of Ivy Prep Academy, is changing lives for the better, one student at a time. Lee opened the doors to Ivy Prep Academy, located upstairs at Makaloa Plaza (1522 Makaloa St.), just last month, with the dream to prepare and send 500 students to an Ivy League school by offering instructional and tutoring services.
“My business philosophy is to prepare our students to the fullest extent, to achieve their loftiest academic and life goals. I hope to help them gain entrance into elite colleges and universities,” says Lee, a Seoul, Korea, native, who received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics at Chaminade University Honolulu, and is a master’s and Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at University of Hawaii.
With 10 people on staff, Ivy Prep Academy tutors students grades K-12 in math (pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus and AP calculus), English (reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary), SAT I and II, PSAT, SSAT, ACT, and math and science competitions.
“Here at Ivy Prep Academy, we care about each student and give them personalized attention. There’s an initial assessment of each student to ascertain their current understanding of the material they will be learning, and tailoring the program to each student’s current level and learning rate,” Lee explains.
“In owning your own business, you don’t have just one boss,” she adds. “Every customer is your employer, so you must satisfy everyone who walks in your door. The satisfaction comes when you see the results. In our case, it’s seeing students thrive academically and go on to achieve their goals in life.”
Currently, Lee is gearing up to help prepare 200 students this summer for upcoming classes in math and English. Her long-term business goal of sending 500 students to an elite college or university is still in the works, but she is making steady progress.
“So far we have achieved about 10 percent (50 students) of this goal. It’s only the beginning,” she says with a smile.
For more information on Ivy Prep Academy and class schedules, visit ivyprepacademy.net or call 941-0909.
Midweek
