Producing Ivy League Students
Sun Lee, principal and director of Ivy Prep Academy | Photo from Sun Lee
Sun Lee, principal and director of Ivy Prep Academy, is changing lives for the better, one student at a time. Lee opened the doors to Ivy Prep Academy, located upstairs at Makaloa Plaza (1522 Makaloa St.), just last month, with the dream to prepare and send 500 students to an Ivy League school by offering instructional and tutoring services.
“My business philosophy is to prepare our students to the fullest extent, to achieve their loftiest academic and life goals. I hope to help them gain entrance into elite colleges and universities,” says Lee, a Seoul, Korea, native, who received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics at Chaminade University Honolulu, and is a master’s and Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at University of Hawaii.
With 10 people on staff, Ivy Prep Academy tutors students grades K-12 in math (pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus and AP calculus), English (reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary), SAT I and II, PSAT, SSAT, ACT, and math and science competitions.
“Here at Ivy Prep Academy, we care about each student and give them personalized attention. There’s an initial assessment of each student to ascertain their current understanding of the material they will be learning, and tailoring the program to each student’s current level and learning rate,” Lee explains.
“In owning your own business, you don’t have just one boss,” she adds. “Every customer is your employer, so you must satisfy everyone who walks in your door. The satisfaction comes when you see the results. In our case, it’s seeing students thrive academically and go on to achieve their goals in life.”
Currently, Lee is gearing up to help prepare 200 students this summer for upcoming classes in math and English. Her long-term business goal of sending 500 students to an elite college or university is still in the works, but she is making steady progress.
“So far we have achieved about 10 percent (50 students) of this goal. It’s only the beginning,” she says with a smile.
For more information on Ivy Prep Academy and class schedules, visit ivyprepacademy.net or call 941-0909.
