Starting Thinking Caps was a leap of faith.

An idea, a dorm-room phone, and a lot of luck sent me on this adventure. I started Thinking Caps while I was an undergrad at NYU because of a young student who inspired me to help others. I’ve been at it for 16 years. There have been so many amazing, surprising,“I can’t believe I get to do this every day…” moments. And there have been times of discouragement and question marks.

But I got through those hard moments. I’ve kept on learning. How? Mainly because of my awesomely supportive circle of friends and collaborators and the students who always, always bring a smile to my face. These are just a few of the folks who I have to thank.

Mom & Grandmas. Before I even realized it, you were modeling girl power for me. I’m incredibly lucky to have never questioned what is possible for me if I worked hard enough.

Vova. The answer is eternally: no buckling under pressure.

Dad. Your challenges when it came to helping me with physics showed me that teaching is, in fact, a talent and a gift that’s not to be wasted. Since then, you’ve given me more pep talks than I can count and counted the stuff I couldn’t.

Eug. My work days wouldn’t be very successful if you didn’t wake up my brain with a coffee nearly all the days of my adult life.

“Zoo animals”. TC was my first baby but you guys are here now. If I’m going to walk out the door away from you every day, it means that I’m going toward something meaningful. I am grateful for the daily reminder.

Marina & Nastia. The Zoo Animals wouldn’t be so well fed or clothed without you. You dole-out the best grandma-love.

Jaclyn, Leah, Debra, Jess & Fran. You know the right things to say and when to tell me that everything is going to be OK.

Code & Photo Guys. The first website was a DIY job that my dad and I cobbled together. It wasn’t that bad, but, it wasn’t all that good, either. Thanks to you, Jeremy and Ayan, the websites since have been a whole lot snazzier. And Eric – a shoutout to you and your beautiful photography that perfectly captures the spirit of our work.

Ari, Emily, Lauren & Devon. You help make me and TC better. You dive in, get things done, and think critically. Team work makes the dream work.

TC Tutors & Coaches. You bring it to every, single lesson, and you define our team. Thank you for your energy, each and every one of you.

Mrs. Solomon, Susan, Dr. Boorady & Ed. Your votes of confidence changed everything. Thank you.

Educators, psychologists, doctors & fellow collaborators. We wouldn’t be able to do as good of a job helping our students without the help of our professional colleagues. We are truly privileged to participate in this robust community of support.

The parents. You’ve entrusted us with your kids. We know that they the most important piece of this whole equation.

Our students. Thank you for writing, doing math, talking books, figuring out chemistry problems, and speaking Spanish with us. Thanks for learning with us. Thanks for inspiring us. You’ve made us into the teachers we are so proud to be.