Meet the Tutors
Cristina Pacheco
Owner/Founder
Cristina grew up on the east coast and moved to Golden, Colorado in 2013, where she fell in love with snow, the active Colorado lifestyle, and met her dog, Chompsky! After years of teaching kids everything from piano to rock climbing, she graduated with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Education. Cristina has always loved math and the beauty it brings out in the world. She believes that math shouldn’t be perceived as just another curriculum that’s taught in a classroom, but rather a creative way to see and appreciate the world.
More about Cristina.
Sports & Video Games.
Cristina loves playing soccer and rock climbing, or any other competitive outdoor activity. While sports and video games aren’t a common duo, Cristina has had a deep appreciation for video games since she was a kid. Her current favorite games are Mario Kart, Cuphead, and Among Us!
The Outdoors.
For as long as she can remember, Cristina has always been happiest outdoors. Being out in the wilderness on a bright sunny day and exploring different places in Colorado are some of Cristina’s favorite things to do!
Furry Friends.
If it wasn’t already apparent, Cristina loves dogs and you may even see her black lab, Chompsky (named after gnome Chompsky in the cartoon Trollhunters, not after Noam Chomsky) in the background during tutoring sessions! If you have pets, she’d love to meet them!
Sam Murray
Tutor
Sam grew up in the foothills of Western Massachusetts and moved out to Colorado as soon as he could to find some real mountains! After studying environmental science at Colorado College, Sam became a teacher. He’s a science nerd at heart, but also enjoys teaching math. After teaching for 6 years, Sam went back to school to study science education with the Teton Science Schools and started working towards a masters degree in Natural Resource Management.
More about Sam.
Furry Friends.
When he’s not studying wildlife ecology, he can be found climbing or running around the mountains with his dog Hatcher. Hatcher is named for Hatcher’s Pass Alaska, and he’s a husky-shepherd mix who absolutely LOVES the snow.
Sports.
Sam is also a lifelong skateboarder, surfer, and snowboarder. It has helped him find more ways to have fun outside. Skateboarding was the first “sport” Sam really got into. If it moves fast and it has a board, he’s into it.
Climbing.
In addition to teaching science and math, Sam loves to take students rock climbing. For most of his life Sam was too afraid of heights to try climbing, but now he loves helping students get over that fear by learning how fun it is to swing around on the cliffs!
Kendra Layton
Tutor
Kendra grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC where she majored in Spanish and minored in Mathematics and Education. She got the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, Chile and Dhaka, Bangladesh where she researched intercultural education. A love of nature and teaching opportunity brought her to Denver, Colorado where she received a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She then taught in Denver Public Schools, most recently as a seventh and eighth grade bilingual math teacher. Kendra loves to “mathematize” the world and make real life connections to what she’s teaching and learning.
More about Kendra.
Ultrarunning & Hiking.
Kendra loves exploring the great outdoors and tops of mountains! She has run multiple marathons and ultra-marathons, the latest being a 60 kilometer race in the Never Summer Mountains. She is planning a big adventure to hike the Continental Divide Trail the summer of 2024.
Furry Friends.
Kendra loves animals of all shapes and sizes! She and her partner Lenny are pet parents to 15. Their two rescue pups are named Cooper and Page and their kitties are Hannibal and Clarice. They also have 11 chickens named after various baseball players.
Gardening & Cooking.
Kendra is happiest with her hands in the dirt. Alongside Lenny, she enjoys working in her garden and growing berries, grapes, and various vegetables. She turns these into tasty meals of lasagna, enchiladas, freezer jam, and pies.
Rebekah Paster
Tutor
Rebekah grew up in northern New Jersey, just outside NYC. She received her bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Rochester and her master's degree in Social Work from Columbia University. Rebekah moved out to Colorado in 2021, where she works as a social worker and therapist. Rebekah began tutoring when she was in 10th grade and continues to work with students whenever she can.
More about Rebekah.
Skiing.
Rebekah is a lifelong skier who is happiest when she is on the slopes. Some of her fondest memories are of skiing on powder days- especially since powder is so rare out East! Rebekah loves skiing at Winter Park and Copper, but she'll ski anywhere where there's good snow.
Furry Friends.
You'll likely meet Luna, Rebekah's assistant, during virtual tutoring sessions. She's glued to Rebekah's side and loves sunbathing beneath the desk lamp. Jury's still out on Luna's math skills, but she's great at providing emotional support during tough problem sets.
Hiking.
Rebekah unfortunately can't ski year-round, but she still makes it out to the mountains in the warmer months. She loves spending time outdoors and exploring all that Colorado has to offer. Some of her favorite Front Range hikes are Herman Gulch during wildflower season and Berthoud Pass/Vasquez Peak Wilderness when the leaves are changing.
Dylan Eggleston
Tutor
Living most of his life a Florida native, Dylan went to school studying Mathematics at USF and Crime Scene Technology at SPC in the Tampa Bay area where he discovered the sport of climbing and began working in the climbing gym industry. From early in his schooling, Dylan worked as a commercial and free-lance tutor – and while he followed his new found passion of climbing to Maryland, and now, Tennessee, he has continued to take on students when the oppurtunity presents itself.
More about Dylan.
Climbing.
While a relatively new passion, Dylan has hit the ground running so to speak and you could find him in the early mornings trying to push his speed and distances. Long term goals of 50 and 100 mile races loom on the horizon but he is taking it in stride.
Routesetting.
While routesetting is a job, it can also be a creative outlet which will be always be in Dylan's life, long after he as exited the commercial career. Solving a puzzle is satifying, yet creating one is a step beyond and affixing these puzzles for elite athletes in competition will hopefully continue to inspire him.
Movement.
Running, biking, hiking - anything that gets you OUT there, Dylan is up to try it. The challenge of an endurance sport and the health consciousness of keeping a healthy heart strike the perfect balance to grab his interest. You’ll find him pushing the distances as best he can.