Meet Our Team

Amber Castillo

Center and Education Director

Amber Castillo oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors in Hermosa Beach. Amber is a California-credentialed Multiple Subjects teacher who taught grades 1-5 for eleven years. An Air Force veteran, Amber graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master’s in Human Relations and from Boston University with a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and minors in International Relations and Mathematics. When Amber isn’t at Sylvan you’ll find her with family appreciating the arts and outdoors.

Alejandro "Alex" Flores

Teacher/Tutor

Alejandro is a teacher in Hermosa Beach, CA with a gift for working with kids. While “Alex” has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in math tutoring. Alex, a high school math teacher with a CA Clear Single Subject Credential, holds a MA in Education from National University, and a BA in Graphic Design from Cal State University, San Bernardino. When Alex isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him with his family, in particular with his adorable 1-year old daughter, snowboarding, drawing, and playing video games.

Angelica Tipon

Tutor

Angelica is a tutor in El Segundo and Hermosa Beach with a passion for working with kids. She studied at Loyola Marymount University to obtain her Masters of Arts in special education, and then continued her studies at the University of California, Los Angeles to secure her Education Specialist credentials. She has an abundance of experience teaching and aiding in schools including La Ballona Elementary School, Richmond Street School, and Towers Elementary. Outside of Sylvan, Angelica enjoys adventuring and traveling!

Dr. Douglas Biedenweg

Teacher/Tutor

Dr. Douglas Biedenweg is a teacher in Hermosa Beach, CA with a gift for working with kids. While “Dr. B.” has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in science tutoring, in particular Chemistry and Physics. Dr. Biedenweg taught high school science at Chadwick in Palos Verdes and Physics and AP Chemistry at Vistamar School in El Segundo. He holds a PhD in Spider Behavior from Washington State University and a B.S. in Zoology at UC Davis. When Dr. Biedenweg isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him with his wife, also a teacher, his two young adult children, writing science books, and swimming.

Dr. Laura Holden

Tutor

Dr. Laura Holden is a teacher at Hermosa Beach Sylvan. She is a local South Bay resident who graduated from Mira Costa, El Camino, Long Beach State University (BA and MA) and Brigham Young University in Utah (Doctorate). Dr. Holden also took classes at University of San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills. She taught and coached in Bellflower, Los Angeles and Compton. Dr. Holden loves working with young people and enjoys that excitement when they are successful. Sylvan provides those moments. In her free time she reads, watches sports (Galaxy season ticket holder for 19 years), golfs and bowls.

John Farley

Tutor

John is a teacher in El Segundo and Hermosa Beach, CA. He has a knack for helping students make connections between their learning and their everyday lives. He is especially fond of reading and literacy education. John has an extensive tutoring and teaching background, and is also holds a preliminary California multiple-subjects teaching credential. When not teaching at Sylvan, John enjoys playing music and singing, as well as walking and traveling.

John Curtis

Teacher

John Curtis is a high school history teacher in Redondo Beach, CA with a gift for working with kids. While John has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in Social Studies tutoring. He studied at the University of Cincinnati, where he played baseball. When John isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find him with his family and appreciating sports.

Sofia Garza

Teacher

Sofia is a teacher in Hermosa Beach, CA with a gift for working with kids. While Sofia has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in writing tutoring. Sofia has a Master’s in Education from the University of Monterrey in Mexico. Sofia teaches preschool for the Hermosa Beach school district, has worked as a behavior therapist, taught kids of all ages, and was a college professor in Oaxaca, Mexico. When Sofia isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her with her family and pursuing her other passion of personal training.