Excel Peer Tutor | Spring 2023

During the spring of my freshman year, I took on the role of a peer tutor for an introductory Microsoft Excel course. With over 30 students in the class—many of them using Excel for the first time—my job was to help make sense of complex formulas and functions that often felt overwhelming to new users.
It wasn’t just about helping students follow along, it was about helping them understand what they were doing and why it mattered. I worked alongside three other tutors, a TA, and our professor to provide consistent, personalized support. We regularly met to discuss how we could simplify the material while still reinforcing the real-world value of Excel.
Each week, I reviewed course content, completed quizzes to keep my skills sharp, and answered dozens of student questions during each 50-minute class. Over time, I found my rhythm—breaking down IF statements, VLOOKUPs, and pivot tables into digestible, easy-to-understand steps. The more I explained, the more confident I became in both my Excel knowledge and my ability to teach it.
At the end of the semester, I led a live Excel demonstration, stepping into the TA’s role to walk the class through the current material. I explained functions, answered questions in real time, and made sure every student could follow along in preparation for their final. The session was a success, and I received positive feedback from both the professor and TA on my clarity and leadership.
This experience not only sharpened my technical skills in Excel, but also strengthened my confidence in public speaking, instructional design, and collaborative problem-solving—skills I continue to carry into every project I take on.