About 

Julia Saunders (they/she) studied at UCLA where they earned a B.A. in Theater Arts and graduated with honors. She has been working as a K-12 educator in New York and California for the past eight years.

 

They started out formally as as a one-to-one high school & middle school teacher at Fusion Academy in 2017, teaching English and History courses, although she had a long history leading up to this of working with kids as a camp counselor and proud babysitter. The majority of students at Fusion had learning difference diagnoses, and in her three years working as a teacher there, they gained a wealth of experience working with and understanding neurodivergent students. In their second year, she was given a unique opportunity to help teach and launch a new program at Fusion called COGx, which utilized the latest research in cognitive science to target and improve the cognitive skills associated with learning through an intensive 60-120 hour interventionist program.

 

They eventually became the campus manager for this program and a specialist in the science of learning as a result. She learned how to analyze neuropsych evaluations, to develop customized learning plans based on specific cognitive profiles, and to target and improve learning skills like memory, executive functioning skills and attention. She has during and since utilized this wealth of knowledge to understand the students she works with and help them become effective and empowered learners.

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After leaving Fusion Acadmey during the 2020 pandemic, Julia started working as an executive functioning coach and tutor. They work individually with students from ages 5-20 (Truly! It’s wild!) in most subjects but especially math, essay writing and reading, specializing in working with students with learning differences and coaching executive functioning skills. They've also taught high school SAT classes, managed and taught a reading and math group tutoring program at Community Roots elementary school, written conceptual math curriculum for 10+ schools across the tri-state area, and designed art and theater workshops that target executive functioning skill building. They worked as a consultant and lead coach in the launch of Bespoke Education's Executive Functioning Coaching program. She was also an executive functioning and academic coach as part of the Pediatric Assessments Learning & Support psychology practice from 2021-2025, before returning to California.

 

A veritable jack-of-all-trades in education, she values and prioritizes building strong connections, often working with students for years as they move through various stages of education. She above all believes that the key to being a successful educator is to be compassionate and intuitive with each individual and group, as no two students are the same. Once a student feels understood and appropriately supported, they can really start to thrive and grow.