Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Van Dellen.
Kate, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I never say I had an average childhood, mostly because I started flying airplanes when I was 13 years old. After witnessing an airplane crash, my career dreams grew into protecting our skies. My undergraduate degree is in aerospace engineering, and my masters is in engineering management. I loved working in the aviation industry, but I always wanted to be my own boss.
Every student has complained that one of their teachers don’t know how to do things in the real world. I’ve always had a passion for mentoring and tutoring and I created a solution to supplemental education. In 2015, my spouse was offered his dream job in Texas, and the move gave me the opportunity to start a company in one of the most business-friendly states. My company teaches math and science to middle school to college students. I also speak professional to motivate students to follow their dreams and break gender stereotypes.
The name “New Trees Education” comes from my personal belief that knowledge grows. So many of my students tell me that since their parents aren’t good in math, they inherited the “bad at math” gene. I challenge this way of thinking and help students overcome preconceived and limiting self-talk. Like a tree, knowledge grows when it is feed and cared for.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road is never smooth. I’ve had huge highs, like being the keynote speaker at the University of Reno Nevada.
I’ve also had potential clients troll me on social media telling me that I’ll never be able to compete with larger companies in my space. Learning to not listen to those who don’t believe in you is an important and hard skill. I blog for the Huffington Post, so I’ve had my fair share of people challenging my message of gender equality. I used to take so many of these to heart, and spend hours deeply thinking of responses. I’ve had to learn that there are certain people I cannot argue with, and how to tell the difference between trolls and people who need customer service.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with New Trees Education, LLC – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
New Trees Education is known for math and science tutoring as well as motivational speaking. We work mostly in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field, but we also provide comprehensive tutoring for the SAT (math, writing, and reading).
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking around the world to encourage students to allow their dreams to evolve and on gender equality. Only 6% of pilots in the US are female, and only 15% of aerospace engineering graduates are female, so I’ve experienced gender biases comments and assignments. I’ve designed and tested methods on confronting sexism where it isn’t a battle, but a discussion. I’ve spoken in South Africa, universities across the US, as well as many public schools here in North Texas.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m always looking for passionate tutors who can help further New Trees Education’s mission. I’m starting to book speaking engagements for 2018, so stay tuned for upcoming events.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.newtreeseducation.com/
- Phone: 662-468-8867
- Email: kate.vandellen@newtreeseducation.com
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/newtreeseducation
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeYourOwnBride
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/new-trees-education-arlington
- Other: https://www.katevandellen.com/
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