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.
Sarah Gonzales
CO-OWNER AND CEO
Sarah started her first tutoring “company” at 16, darting around her hometown to help classmates with their homework. As a Harvard graduate, she has taught English to immigrants, led Kaplan SAT classes, and co-authored the first-ever backpacker’s guide to southern Africa.
Over 16 years in the Foreign Service she served on four continents – helping Liberia resolve a crushing post-civil war debt load and establishing scholarship programs that allowed Afghan girls to attend school. She lives in Washington with Robby, her husband and business partner, and their Belgium-raised babies, who insist that chocolate is an essential food group.
Robby Gonzales
CO-OWNER AND COO
Throughout a 17-year career in the Foreign Service, Robby focused on human rights, good governance and support for multilateral institutions. He negotiated NATO policies with Allies, helped stand up an election commission in Liberia, and led the re-design of IT systems that identified human rights abuses among foreign militaries. He has found a way to merge his management expertise, tech savvy and focus on accountability into a highly-effective methodology that creates a roadmap to student independence in the classroom and beyond. A graduate of the University of Texas, Robby insists the Longhorn fight song is a suitable lullaby for his two young kids.
Sheena Martin
Parent Outreach Coordinator
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!