ABOUT US
THE TUNGSTEN DIFFERENCE
Tungsten Prep is a family-owned, local company dedicated to helping students succeed and find joy in learning
Tungsten Prep was founded in 2017 as a one-woman operation. We quickly discovered an unmet need. Families indicated that they wanted something that was missing — a tutor that was more than a short-term homework helper or test prep coach. They wanted to work with one partner — someone who knows their community understands their family, embraces their student’s unique learning style and is skilled enough to tutor more than one single subject.
Tungsten Prep reflects our leadership’s values for success as parents and managers — rational, realistic, results-oriented, compassionate and, especially, family-centric.
We believe students thrive when they find that just-right tutor who understands their learning style, inspires them to work harder. And, hopefully, makes them laugh.
Our team is the key to that mission. We are diverse in every sense of that word – from our backgrounds to our expertise to our teaching styles. And we are proud to offer role models whose own life experiences and professional accomplishments encourage students to rethink their preconceived limits and dream big.
Kristen Mastropole
CEO and Lead Tutor
From the Arctic to the Galapagos, Kristen has crossed the oceans as a climate scientist with a passion for biodiversity. Before becoming the CEO of Tungsten Prep, she had more than a decade of experience as a tutor, most recently as the director of STEM education at a tutoring center in Hong Kong. In her first year at Tungsten Prep, she helped design the curricula for both standardized tests and general study skills.
And while her research vessels may have taken her to the far corners of the Earth, Kristen always returns to her native DMV, and her students find relevance in her own hometown experiences as a graduate of Georgetown University and the Holton-Arms School.
Sheena Martin
chief of operations and outreach
Sheena is the motor that keeps the Tungsten Prep engine running! A veteran of multiple start-ups, you can rely on this dedicated working mom’s exceptional organizational skills and and understanding of student needs to help families find that just-right tutor and navigate the alphabet soup of SAT, ACT, APs or SSAT. Have a billing question? Sheena is here to help.
A native of Virginia, Sheena has lived around the country with her active duty military husband and children. Her philosophy is that no one-size-fits-all approach works for families or for students, and her mission is to offer parents practical and candid advice that keeps our families build confidence inside and outside the classroom. She also believes that supporting teenagers requires a good sense of humor and aims to keep parents smiling!