This post was updated April 4 at 6:01 p.m.

To tutor or to be tutored? That is the question for UCLA students.

For some, the reality is both.

Tutoring is like a puzzle – students must struggle and then come up with solutions, said Evan Pearson, the founder of Westwood Tutors and a UCLA mechanical engineering alumnus. He added that he enjoys figuring out how a student’s brain works throughout the tutoring process.

“The rewarding part is being able to watch them go down that path and experience the same ‘a-ha’ moments that I experienced back when I was in high school,” Pearson said.

Pearson said that through Westwood Tutors, he and UCLA students offer one-on-one teaching sessions for those in the area. The tutors are responsible for different school subjects, he said, adding that he teaches math and physics.

Many parents decide to hire a tutor for their children for different reasons, Pearson said. He added that they work with all kinds of students and parents and try to make the process of learning as positive as possible. Pearson also said he hopes to facilitate independent understanding with his students.

“My goal is to have a student eventually not need a tutor,” Pearson said.

Nate Magari, a fourth-year applied mathematics and astrophysics student who also tutors through the organization, said he was helping Pearson with quantum mechanics homework when Pearson said he was recruiting tutors for his business.

Although Magari initially began tutoring to make money, he said teaching elementary, middle and high school students has since become one of his passions. He added that he is now thinking about pursuing a career in education because of his experiences.

“Tutoring is special because, especially in the post-COVID world, sometimes it’s difficult for students to connect in school and feel like they’re in a comfortable learning environment,” he said.

When teaching, Magari said he tries to relate concepts to the real world by showing students different applications for the math they learn.

“It was really great for the students to be able to go after school to the local library and get some more practice with these ideas,” he said. “When you’re just going to school day after day and learning from the same teachers, it can get monotonous.”

Pearson said he first became involved with tutoring as a peer tutor in high school. After working for Mathnasium, a math tutoring program, he continued sessions independently during his senior year. He decided to start a business by hiring other people to tutor after finding significant demand for his services at UCLA, he said, adding that he also enjoys the flexibility of being self-employed.

Many UCLA students also receive tutoring to help with their coursework.

David Zhang, a fourth-year physics student, said he hired a doctoral student of mathematics to help him with his complex analysis class. He added that he found out about the tutoring program through a bulletin board in Young Hall.

“To me, it just feels like … (my tutor) is way more accessible than TAs and professors,” Zhang said.

Since it is difficult to be on campus all of the time as a commuter student and long drives can prevent him from attending discussion sections, working one-on-one with a tutor is a flexible alternative to directly reaching out to teaching assistants and professors, Zhang said.

Whether UCLA students are receiving tutoring or offering academic help to other students, the Bruin community has many opportunities to connect meaningfully with peers.

“No matter what you’re studying here, you always have knowledge that you can pass on to younger generations,” Magari said.