🌱 How MethodK Design Was Born

I've spent years inside the world of education — as a student, tutor, a curriculum developer, a coach, and a guide. What started as personal tutoring quickly turned into something bigger: a desire to help others not only teach, but teach with clarity, confidence, and care.

Over time, I saw a consistent need:

• Tutors and educators who want to feel fully prepared before working with students
• Parents who are willing to invest in a tutor who can truly support their child’s growth beyond simple grade improvement
• Students who need structure, strategy, and someone to believe in their potential

MethodK Design was born from that gap. I built this platform to equip tutors, serve families, and help both sides experience what intentional, meaningful learning really looks like.

🛠️ The Experience That Built MethodK Design

Student

I graduated from UNC Greensboro with degrees in Information Science, Math, and Recreation/Event Management. Information science taught me to bring order to complexity, while math trained my eye for patterns and problem-solving. I already knew I had a knack for event planning so studying it helped further develop my program design and logistics management skills. Together, these disciplines shaped the way I approach education: with clarity, intention, and a deep respect for how people learn.

Tutor

I spent nearly all of undergrad in classrooms; sometimes as a student, but just as often as a tutor. I ran the Math Lab and Homework Help Center for the Math Department, supported the Chemistry Department as a Supplemental Instructor and large group tutor and tutored students through the Academic Achievement Center.

This hands-on experience made me comfortable analyzing how students learn and adapting my approach in real time. It’s where I learned to tune into what makes each student tick.

Scholar

I was awarded the DoD SMART Scholarship; a competitive STEM award that supported my Information Science degree during my junior and senior years at UNC Greensboro. It covered full tuition, provided generous stipends, and guaranteed a post-undergrad position with the Department of Defense. That opportunity is what brought me to the DMV, where my life, business, and love for education have continued to flourish. It gave me the foundation, and the environment, I needed to grow into the work I do now.

Camp Counselor

Before I had formal frameworks, I was unknowingly building them in spaces like summer camps. Here I designed activities, coached student behavior, and led peer learning.

I worked at:

• Knightdale Summer Camp, a local, low-cost 3-month program
• WinShape Camp for Communities (2 summers), a high-energy, full-production traveling camp

These experiences taught me how to manage groups with wildly different personalities, needs, and learning styles—all while keeping kids engaged and supported.

🎉Event Planner

As an event planner, I created timelines, managed budgets, and prepared for every possible outcome. That training gives me an edge as a consultant—because building strong tutoring systems also requires clear planning, goal-setting, and adaptability.

Roles included:

• UNC Greensboro Recreation & Wellness Special Events Supervisor (3 years)
• Special Events Planning Board Member
• Activities & Campus Events (ACE) Executive (managed my own department including a 35K budget and several employees to plan campus-wide events)

Data Scientist

After graduating, I began my career as a data scientist with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency through the post-undergrad role granted by my scholarship. In that position, I helped design systems that support national interests and security. One of the most rewarding parts of the job was teaching a data science course to both novice and experienced members of the intelligence community. Breaking down complex technical material into clear, engaging lessons sharpened my ability to make even the most advanced content accessible—an approach I bring into every learning space I design.

Educational Consultant with Magellan Tutoring

What started as tutoring evolved into a partnership. I moved to the DMV looking for meaningful educational opportunities, and Magellan was the first one I found that I truly clicked with. Initially it was just tutoring and working with amazing families. Over time, I realized I wanted to do more than just show up for sessions; I wanted to shape the systems behind them. Magellan became my first official collaboration under the MethodK Design & Collective brand, and I now support them with tutor training, engagement work, workshop curriculum design, SAT prep workshops, and systems consulting

Checkout My Partner Magellan

✨ What It All Taught Me

Whether I was leading summer camps, hosting campus-wide events, teaching data science, or building curriculum—I kept learning the same truth:

Good leadership is rooted in empathy, structure, and the belief that systems should work for people. That’s the heart of MethodK Design™.

✨That same intentionality now lives inside the K Methodology™— whether I’m training new tutors, guiding students directly, or coaching parents and families.

🤎 My Core Values

🧩 My Philosophy: The Power of Intentional Design

I believe great teaching isn’t just about knowing the content, it’s also about knowing how to lead someone else through the content, how to make complexity feel manageable, and how to create trust while doing it.

The K Methodology™ which is taught in my training courses is the heart of my approach:

• Build confidence early
• Define measurable, reachable objectives
• Design clear systems for learning
• Adapt to a student’s learning profile
• Maintain consistent structure
• Build a long-game mindset for growth

💬Reflections From Students, Families and Clients I’ve Served

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed working with Makayla. She was patient and thorough with her explanations. Her communication and teaching style were pleasant and helpful. We highly recommend her as a tutor!

~Magellan Family since 2023

Makayla has been an excellent math tutor for our daughter. She is extremely thorough, but also very patient and supportive. I’ll continue to use her with my other children and would highly recommend her to anyone else’s!

~ Magellan Family since 2023

Makayla has been an exceptional tutor with our company since 2023, consistently going above and beyond expectations. Beloved by every family she’s worked with, she has also played a key role in piloting several of our virtual workshops with professionalism, warmth, and creativity ~ Magellan Tutoring Company

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