Trevor (they/them)
‍Lead Teacher, Literacy Coach, Humanities Teacher

Trevor McBride is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a degree in the Humanities, as well as a minor in Comparative World Literature. Their  passions are literature and music, and helping  our students find excitement and joy in the worlds of reading, writing and storytelling!  Along with Literacy Coaching, Trevor teaches classes in the humanities at BMU and runs a highly acclaimed Dungeons and Dragons club!

Star (they/them)
‍Art Teacher

Trevor McBride is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a degree in the Humanities, as well as a minor in Comparative World Literature. Their  passions are literature and music, and helping  our students find excitement and joy in the worlds of reading, writing and storytelling!  Along with Literacy Coaching, Trevor teaches classes in the humanities at BMU and runs a highly acclaimed Dungeons and Dragons club!

Vivian (she/her)
‍Literacy Coach

Vivian is a first generation Vietnamese American and a new Bay Area resident from San Diego. She has a BA in Literature and Writing from CSU San Marcos, she loves all things Fantasy and Science Fiction. On her time off Vivian loves to travel, watch movies, hang out with her cats, and call her Mom for cooking tips! She is excited to create stories with the students of Big Minds!

Mekayla (she/her)
‍Student Aide

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Mekayla grew up around art and artists. She earned her bachelor's degree in human movement and neuromotor processes. Given this background, Mekayla loves the intersections between art and STEM. As a tactile learner, she appreciates a variety of techniques to explore the world and create. She is excited to learn from and with our 2e students.

Cove (he/him)
‍Science Teacher

Cove has a strong background in biology, graduating with a bachelor of science in Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior from University of California, Davis. He has also worked in the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry lab and is excited to conduct experiments at Big Minds! Cove designs his classes to inspire 2e students to use current scientific knowledge to expand their understanding of the world and to discover new knowledge!

Gavin (he/him)
‍Programming/Coding Coach

Gavin has a background in games, software, and education. Since finishing a degree in Computer Game Design from UC Santa Cruz in 2016, he has briefly worked professionally as a software engineer, as well as taught at a Bay Area private school for three years. Gavin loves to teach programming, and in his spare time can often be found playing Pickleball or any of a number of games on his Nintendo Switch.

Hannah (they/them)
‍Math Coach

Hannah has a long and varied history with a number of industries and considers herself a lifelong learner. Before shutdown Hannah worked in Learning and Development for a tech company in Palo Alto, but chose, in light of school closures, to quit and stay home to facilitate at home schooling for her two children. Hannah is excited to explore math at BMU with practical and hands-on methods, to help others understand and enjoy the fundamental way the world is put together.

Ryan (they/them)
‍Music Coach

Ryan has been working as a recording engineer, live sound technician and musician for the past decade. They believe that everyone is able to have a unique relationship to art and music, and as long as a person is given the right environment to grow and learn, there is no limit to the ways that they can express themselves.

Sam (he/him)
‍History Teacher

Sam Halterman was an English teacher in Russia for 2 years before heading to law school and becoming, first a litigator, and then a Trusts and Estates Lawyer. He practiced in Philadelphia from 2014 to 2020 before moving to California and returning to teaching. He loves history and comparative politics. He used to love Russian literature but is taking an extended hiatus from 600 page novels.