About Us - Summa

Our teachers are highly-trained professionals and are graduates of leading US universities. Their mission is to give you the skills you need to achieve your academic goals, while also making learning fun and engaging.

Summa’s programs have been specially designed to be both practical and interactive, while being flexible enough to target the areas individual students need the most help.

The Summa team prides itself on maintaining the highest level of professionalism and service. Our instructors are graduates of top US universities, and we use this knowledge to guide you through the complex university application process.

Summa is trusted by Ho Chi Minh City’s leading international schools to provide on-site SAT preparation programs.

Achieve Your Highest

Summa is the Latin term for “highest.” If you graduate with honors, you graduate cum laude, with high honors, magna cum laude, and, the most prestigious, with highest honors, summa cum laude.

At Summa Education, we provide the best teachers, most innovative curriculum, and greatest level of continuing service. We pledge our best to ensure that our students can achieve their highest.

We engaged Summa for SAT assistance for my son Ford, opting for individual lessons over classes. His score improved dramatically (more than 300 points) from his PSAT, and I am certain that was largely due to the knowledgeable approach and genuine care for Ford extended by both James and Alex.

Ms. Lee Baker, Parent of Ford Baker, University of Virginia '19

Meet Our Instructors & Staff

All students have a teacher they will never forget - a teacher who truly inspired us and made a difference in our lives. That teacher - who motivates and ignites students’ excitement for learning - is what we look for in every teacher we hire.

Michael is the Program Manager for Test Preparation. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University. Michael has lived in Vietnam for the past two years and occasionally enjoys competing on Vietnamese game shows.

Michael Altman

Vanderbilt

James is one of the founders of Summa. He graduated from the University of Michigan and earned an MBA at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. In his previous life, James worked in management consulting and in corporate finance at Amazon.com and Delta Air Lines.

James Nguyen

Michigan & Berkeley

Rachael teaches SAT and Reading & Writing Enrichment. She graduated from Union College in New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Mandarin Chinese and Political Science. Rachael has lived in Vietnam for three years working in rural business development and social enterprise.

Rachael Carson

Union College

Alex is the Academic Director and one of the founders of Summa. He taught writing and literature at Cornell University, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry. Alex graduated from William Jewell College and spent a year as an Oxbridge Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Alex Trinh

Cornell

Anna teaches SAT and Reading & Writing Enrichment at Summa. She graduated from New York University with degrees in Art History and Politics. Whenever she's not teaching, Anna enjoys writing and making puppets.

Anna van Niekerk

NYU

Bilesh teaches SAT and SAT II Physics. He is also a TEFL certified English teacher. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Economics and a certificate in Political Economy. Bilesh has worked in Vietnam in finance and education for over three years.

Bilesh Ladva

Princeton

Taylor is the Manager of Staff & Business Development. He graduated from the University of Washington, and has been living abroad and teaching since then. When not at Summa, Taylor can be found studying a language and drinking cafe sua da.

Taylor Buser

Washington

Greg is Program Manager for Reading & Writing Enrichment. He is a licensed teacher in Colorado and a Teach For America alumnus. Greg spent the last two years as a learning specialist at a charter school in Denver. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Pennsylvania State University.

Greg Hitz

Penn State

Vinnie teaches SAT, SAT II Physics, and SSAT. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering. Vinnie has been teaching in Vietnam for almost a year, and is learning Vietnamese in his free time. He enjoys playing the guitar and board games.

Vinnie Prabhu

Virginia Tech

Giao teaches SAT and SSAT. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Giao previously taught SAT preparation at Revolution Prep and has experience working in community education programs in the U.S. In her free time, she enjoys photography and yoga.

Giao Dang

Columbia

Graham teaches SAT II Physics and Math 2. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts. Graham also worked as a chef, cooking in Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants in the U.S.

Graham Stein

UMass

Employment

Elite

Summa Education is recruiting elite candidates to teach SAT, SAT II Subject Tests, Reading & Writing Enrichment, and tutor in English, Math, and Science.

Passionate

Summa instructors are passionate about teaching and helping students succeed. In addition to being SAT experts, they bring energy and charisma to the classroom to promote a fun and stimulating learning environment for students.

Confident

Summa provides training to help teachers feel confident and at ease in their new roles. New instructors will receive training on the curriculum, teaching and delivery techniques, and will have the opportunity to shadow veteran instructors and practice-teach.

CANDIDATE SPECIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree from a Top-25 American university
6 to 12 month commitment
Ability to score minimum 700 (750+ preferred) on the subject he/she is teaching

Summa offers a competitive salary and flexible schedule (20-30 hrs/week). To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to gdang@slinstitute.com.