Adena Young, Ph.D.

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Client Stories

Real Stories From Students, Parents, and Teachers

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Student Stories

“[Adena] didn’t expect me to memorize formulas—I actually learned how math worked. She made concepts tangible and easy to understand.”

Former Student, Grades 5–11

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“[Adena] taught me how to evaluate my understanding so I knew when I had mastered the material and when I needed to study more.”

Former Student, Grades 9–10

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“Math is still hard and stressful sometimes, but I’ve started liking it and having fun with it—and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”

Former Student, Grades 6–12

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Parent Stories

“Over time, Adena’s support helped to improve my daughter’s math confidence and belief in herself which allowed my daughter to access more and more math learning.”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 6–12

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“Because Adena was able to fill in where there were gaps in our daughter’s math curriculum, there were times in which [our daughter] was actually tutoring other students.”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 5–11

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“The true legacy of her time with Adena is her understanding of herself as a learner and her awareness of what she needs to succeed.”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 9-11

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“Adena worked with my daughter … to help her learn not only how to solve math problems, but also how to manage her anxiety and emotions around math.”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 6-9

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“Adena, your vibrance, enthusiasm, kindness, positivity, support, encouragement was really awesome — not surprised [my child] was smiling!!!!”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 6-8

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“[My child] would not have become the confident student he is now without your support and guidance.”

Parent of a Former Student,
Grades 7-12

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Teacher Stories

“[Adena] has given me tools and practices that help me identify students’ needs and match them with strategies that work for different learning styles.”

8th Grade Math Teacher
(Former Teacher Client)

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“I’ve watched my students move from ‘near’ to ‘far’ levels of challenge, surprising themselves: ‘Oh wow, I didn’t think I could do a “far.” That’s it? Oh wow, that’s easy. I get it now!’”

6th Grade Math Teacher
(Former Teacher Client)

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“What makes Adena unique is that she combines deep mathematical knowledge with a genuine ability to ‘see’ the whole child.”

5th Grade Math Teacher
(Former Teacher Client)

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“Before I started working with Ms. Adena, math felt impossible. I remember staring at a worksheet in second grade and just feeling completely defeated. Finishing it turned into a long, torturous process that ended with a total breakdown—I genuinely thought I’d never be able to learn multiplication. After that, I started avoiding math completely. I convinced myself I just wasn’t a math person and focused on things that felt easier, like reading and writing.

With Ms. Adena, everything changed. She didn’t expect me to memorize formulas—I actually learned how math worked. She made concepts tangible and easy to understand. If something didn’t make sense, she’d switch up her approach until it clicked, whether that meant drawing a diagram, connecting it to something I already understood, or tying it to a real-world idea. She didn’t let me fake my way through things either. I had to explain concepts back to her, which pushed me to really understand them. And she wasn’t boring like most adults—she made math feel interesting, even silly or fun sometimes, which helped me stay engaged instead of checking out like I usually did in class.

By the time I got to high school, I felt ahead of my classmates because I’d already had three years of help from Ms. Adena. She was my ultimate weapon. I’ve never felt like I learned anything from my actual math teachers—I’ve only really learned from her. I’ve gotten an A in every math class I’ve taken, and math honestly feels like my easiest subject now. Somewhere along the way, I went from hating math to actually enjoying it. Now I’m known as the “smart kid” in my math class, and I genuinely enjoy explaining math to other people. One classmate even told me she would’ve failed precalculus without my help.

I joke that I’ve turned into a crazy math nerd—I get excited over factoring and find most algebra fun. Even more complicated problems tickle my brain. Math used to feel catastrophic, but now it feels like building a puzzle: at first, I have no idea what I’m doing, but once I stare at the picture long enough, I have a foundation to work from, and then I can figure out how to put it together.”

Former Student, Grades 5–11

(Worked with Adena 2018-2025)

Story adapted from a student interview, shared with permission.

“Unlike my teachers and past tutors, Adena explained math to me in a way my brain could actually understand.

Beyond basic math, she taught me how to evaluate my understanding so I knew when I had mastered the material and when I needed to study more.

Because of Adena, I made it through Algebra and Geometry. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Former Student, Grades 9–11

(Worked with Adena 2022-2025)

“Before I met Adena, math felt overwhelming and frustrating. I didn’t understand what we were learning in class, so I thought I wasn’t meant to understand it. There were times when I wanted to give up completely—after a few tries, I’d just stop trying to solve the problem. I kind of assumed I wasn’t going to be someone who was good at math. I just went along with things without actually understanding what we were doing.

Adena helped me go back to the basics and actually build my understanding. She was really good at figuring out what I needed, and she never made me feel like I should already know something. We slowed things down and worked through each step until it made sense. When I worked with her, I didn’t just learn how to do something—I understood why it worked.

The summer before high school, things started clicking—I was reviewing with Adena and realized, “Oh, I do know this.” Even though I was placed in a half-year pre-algebra class freshman year, I worked hard with Adena and finished both the pre-algebra course and an entire self-paced Algebra 1 course by the end of the year. From there, I kept moving up and eventually made it all the way to precalculus. I got A’s in all my math classes through Algebra 2, and even though precalc was the hardest class I’ve ever taken, I still got a B+.

Math is still hard and stressful sometimes, but I’ve started liking it and having fun with it—and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”

Former Student, Grades 6–12

(Worked with Adena 2018-2025)

Story adapted from a student interview, shared with permission.

“My daughter struggled with math from the beginning of elementary school and by 6th grade, her struggles increased as the curriculum ramped up. 

We were referred to Dr. Adena Young for math support; for what I thought would be twice-weekly tutoring. While we had used tutors before, this help from Adena wasn’t “tutoring” as we knew it, it was magic! Adena quickly understood my daughter’s complex learning challenges and provided warmth, encouragement and structured support so that my daughter could slowly access some of the learning. 

Over time, Adena’s support helped to improve my daughter’s math confidence and belief in herself which allowed my daughter to access more and more math learning. Adena was adept at providing “just right support” every step of the way. 

Working together through high school allowed my daughter to develop in-depth math knowledge, confidence and the ability to solve complex problems on her own. It has been life-changing for her and a profound life-lesson; she was always smart and she is capable of anything!”

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 6–12

(Worked with Adena 2018-2025)

“We met Adena when our daughter was in the fifth grade. She had been struggling with math for a couple of years and, although she was excelling in other subjects, was about a year and a half behind in math. She struggled with basic math concepts, and was unable to even memorize the multiplication table. During a casual conversation, a fellow parent at our daughter’s school suggested we contact Adena, and noted how much her daughter achieved from working with Adena.

Through Adena’s initial neuropsychological assessment, our daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. This provided many answers but, as parents new to learning difficulties, we were at a loss as to where to even start. Finding Adena felt like a miracle.

Ultimately, our daughter worked with Adena for seven years, and it made all the difference in both her attitude and success in high school (not just math), as well as the SAT. From very early on, we saw the positive effects of Adena’s efforts on our daughter’s math comprehension. As Adena is a trained psychologist, she understood how to approach our daughter’s math learning difficulties and how to align her instructions with our daughter’s executive functioning. Adena was able to tailor her teaching so that our daughter could easily understand the math concepts.

Almost immediately, we saw improvements in our daughter’s understanding of math. Coupled with ADHD accommodations, Adena’s guidance and tutoring gave our daughter the math comprehension that she needed, resulting in both improved math grades and an increase in self-confidence that grew rapidly and continued over the years. To note, our daughter has been earning straight A’s in math through her middle and high school years. In fact, because Adena was able to fill in where there were gaps in our daughter’s math curriculum, there were times in which she was actually tutoring other students. We’re convinced that the confidence our daughter gained from working with Adena permeated through her other studies, and contributed to her overall success in high school.

Along the way, Adena always kept us informed, suggesting additional sessions where needed, and provided objective evaluations of our daughter’s preparation. We’ve had a very productive and collaborative relationship with Adena spanning numerous years, and came to trust her implicitly. Adena always took additional time and effort to cover concepts that were foundational but not covered in school, and advised us regarding ways we could assist our daughter develop her executive functioning.

One of Adena’s best qualities (and she has many) is her disposition. Our daughter responds best to a calm voice, and Adena helped her to stay focused as she engaged in each tutoring session. The ultimate testimonial is that our daughter never missed a session and never felt unmotivated to work with Adena. If you’ve read this far, you won’t be surprised to read that we think the world of Adena, and only wish we had met her sooner. The scope of the impact her services provided cannot be overstated, and we’re exceedingly confident that each student who has the privilege of working with her would fully agree. We are thankful and appreciate all that Adena has done for our daughter.”

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 5–11

(Worked with Adena 2018-2025)

“Adena has played a pivotal role in my daughter’s intellectual and emotional growth.

While she certainly gained the foundational math skills necessary for school, the true legacy of her time with Adena is her understanding of herself as a learner and her awareness of what she needs to succeed.

A cookie-cutter approach would not have worked for my daughter and Adena had the remarkable ability to meet her exactly where she was, always with constructive feedback and never with judgment. 

Additionally, Adena provided exceptional support to me as a parent.

We feel truly fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with her.”

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 9–11

(Worked with Adena 2022-2025)

“Adena Young changed my daughter’s life!

My daughter hated math when she was in elementary school. We bought math workbooks and flash cards, but these just resulted in tears and frustration. She would write, “I hate math” on the side of her school work and began to lose her confidence. She was a smart kid so I knew there had to be some underlying reason why math was so hard for her. 

I count my lucky stars that we met Adena!

Adena assessed my daughter and diagnosed what her learning issue was with respect to math. This was certainly helpful to know, but it’s what Adena did next that changed my daughter’s life. 

Adena worked with my daughter every week to help her learn not only how to solve math problems, but also how to manage her anxiety and emotions around math. Adena knew my daughter so well and knew how to best approach learning math so that she could be successful. Slowly my daughter’s confidence with respect to math grew. She saw herself as someone who was capable of doing math because she knew how to approach the problems! My daughter loved working with Adena.

My daughter went from a girl who quite literally couldn’t add 7+5 to taking AP Calculus, earning an A and a 5 on the AP exam. Thank you so much, Adena, for all you did for my daughter!“

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 6–9

(Worked with Adena 2016-2020)

“As you know I was in the room nearby overhearing some of the session.

Adena, your vibrance, enthusiasm, kindness, positivity, support, encouragement was really awesome – not surprised [my child] was smiling!!!! Thank you!”

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 7–8

(Worked with Adena 2019-2021)

Quoted from a parent email, shared with permission.

“We have been on this journey together for so long and you have been such an important force and influence in [my son]’s life.

I am so thankful for all that you have done for and with him over the years. He would not have become the confident student he is now without your support and guidance.

You are absolutely amazing and we are so grateful for all that you are.”

Parent of a Former Student, Grades 7–12

(Worked with Adena 2017-2022)

Quoted from a parent email, shared with permission.

“I started working with Adena about six years ago. Through our work, I’ve found that I am better able to serve the diverse set of learners that pass through my classroom. She has given me tools and practices that help me identify students’ needs and match them with strategies that work for different learning styles. I’ve learned to adapt and implement practices that not only benefit students with learning challenges, but also improve instruction and learning for all. Best practices for students with atypical learning profiles are best practices for everyone.

Through my work with Adena, I’ve also learned how to build and maintain self‑care. I discovered that doing what is best for me is also what is best for the students I teach. I used to feel that putting my needs into the equation was taking away from students. Now I know that I am a vital and important part of the equation — and worth the effort. Self‑care is care for all the people I work and engage with.

Adena has helped me develop a vocabulary to articulate the issues and challenges I face in the classroom. Sometimes I come into a session feeling overwhelmed, and she asks questions that help me sort through the myriad of issues I’m juggling. She doesn’t prescribe solutions; instead, she helps me work through them and provides a process I can reproduce on my own. Together, we’ve built a vocabulary that connects what once felt like disparate challenges to a common thread. Adena empowers me to be a problem‑solver by giving me both questions and space to reflect.

Her process and support have become an essential part of my professional and personal work. Just as teachers strive to serve the whole student, working with Adena serves the whole educator. She equips me not only with skills and tools to work with diverse math learners, but also with insight into the social and emotional aspects of learning mathematics.”

Carwai, 8th Grade Math Teacher (Former Teacher Client)

(Testimonial written in 2020)

Story shared with permission. Lightly copyedited for spelling and clarity.

“When I first started working with Adena, I really needed help differentiating for my students. I had mixed level students on vast sides of the spectrum in the same classroom. I was a new math teacher and needed to figure out a way to help my students at multiple levels at the same time, while not burning myself out.

Firstly, I needed help knowing how to teach concepts at multiple levels in the same class period. Secondly, I needed help understanding healthy boundaries for what general education teachers can and cannot do. With the levels of students varying widely, I needed help in understanding where the threshold for what defines the “near reaching” and the “far reaching” levels were.

I came to Adena initially in what I felt was crisis-mode. I was feeling overwhelmed at the tall order I wanted to meet for all my students. I knew I longed to make math feel more connective and real for my students, but how to put this into action seemed like a daunting task.

At the beginning of my sessions, I would start off rattling off all the things I wanted to accomplish and ask how I could get this all done. She would calmly listen and then ask me to pause and try to reset myself and my thinking. She helped me start from a fresh perspective, instead of starting from a reactive and chaotic position with specific issues. She would ask me to imagine math concepts more open minded initially, then guided me to get my specific desires or concerns addressed. Her knowledge of math concepts, differentiation, project-based learning, and teacher support are above anything I’ve worked with. Through our work, I’ve learned to start with function before form when I problem‑solve.

What I love most about working with Adena is how she shows up with me, without judgment. She holds space for my questions and shares the weight of my load. She has a magic about her — the ability to see the larger arc of my needs, often before I do. She helps me work through broad concepts, then guides me back to the details, where I surprise myself with the answers I can now give.

The results have been transformative. I don’t feel weighed down anymore by the constant cycle of problems and solutions. The murkiness has cleared, and I feel lighter, calmer, and recharged. Now, I design content that makes me giddy to teach. Challenges that used to exhaust me now feel like puzzles I get to crack.

The most powerful change I’ve seen is in my students. They’ve become curious and motivated, eager to see how far they can go. I’ve watched them move from “near reaching” to “far reaching” levels of challenge, often surprising themselves: “Oh wow, I didn’t think I could do a ‘far reaching’ problem. That’s it? Oh wow, that’s easy. I get it now!” To see students approach math like a wonderland, exploring with joy and saying, “I want to test how far I can go,” is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of for them, regardless of their current math level.

Teachers give so much — to students, families, coworkers, and entire school communities. But where do we go when we need support ourselves? I had been searching for that source for over nine years. With Adena, my search is over. She breathes new life into my body, my mind, and my teaching practice. I’m often reminded of the verse, “Seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.” Each time I knock, Adena opens the door with tools and insight ready to help me along my journey. How often does that happen in real life?

There’s teaching life before Adena — and teaching life after Adena. She’s absolutely amazing and utterly life‑changing.

Sasha, 6th Grade Math Teacher (Former Teacher Client)

(Testimonial written in 2020)

Story adapted from a teacher Q&A, shared with permission.

“Like many who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I didn’t gain much number sense in school. This led me to believe I wasn’t “good at math.” When I began my pedagogy courses, I realized that wasn’t true — there were better ways to teach children mathematics. From then on, learning math pedagogy became a keen interest of mine. Developing my own number sense and mathematical habits of mind alongside my students has been, and continues to be, a source of personal satisfaction.

Adena’s support has contributed greatly to my mathematics pedagogy. She respects teachers and understands how hard we work. In consultation, she creates a safe, judgment‑free space to share our thoughts and questions, working in partnership toward real solutions.

As a teacher, I appreciate that Adena acknowledges we know our students better than any outside observer. No matter how skilled a consultant may be, they haven’t spent the day‑to‑day time with our students. Adena approaches her practice through questions, helping me use the knowledge I already carry to brainstorm solutions. Often when I felt stuck in how to support a student, I would schedule a meeting with Adena. I always left with fresh ideas and new questions to explore through observation.

Unlike some consultants who offer quick fixes, Adena recognizes that human learning is far more complex. Her approach deepens my understanding of a child and equips me with tools to address their challenges in meaningful, authentic ways. She also offers new lenses for viewing problems, helping me shift from feeling stuck to moving forward.

What makes Adena unique is that she combines deep mathematical knowledge with a genuine ability to “see” the whole child. Many consultants are either content‑area experts or social‑emotional experts — but Adena brings both.

Working with her has enhanced my practice not just in mathematics, but across my teaching. If you believe every child can learn, but sometimes you haven’t yet found the right path, Adena can help you get there. She’s changed the way I think: I now approach every learning challenge with an inquiry mindset. She’s taught me what questions to ask myself, how to trust my everyday observations, and how to harness them as some of my best resources to support student learning.”

Maureen, 5th Grade Teacher (Former Teacher Client)

(Testimonial written in 2020)

Story shared with permission. Lightly copyedited for spelling and clarity.