I'm a huge origami enthusiast!!! I have been folding origami for years, and I would love to teach my helpful tips and tricks to students who would also like to learn origami! Let's get folding!!!

Find out more about Ally

• 1) When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  I started practicing origami as soon as I was old enough to hold and fold paper!!! My mom taught me how to fold an origami swan and that started me on my origami journey!!! I have always folded origami and over the years I have collected origami books, and have searched the internet for inspiration for new origami patterns for me to learn how to fold! Origami has always fascinated me and I love how it brings joy to others and myself!!! Origami is magical since you can turn a simple piece of paper into something amazing!!! It is a passion of mine that I have fostered all my life and I strive to share that passion and fascination for origami with my students!!! Origami is for all ages and skill levels!!!
  
  Origami is also part of my passion for my love of Japanese culture!!! I started to learn the Japanese language while I was in high school, and I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Japanese language when I went to college!!! I am by no means a native speaker, but I learned from native speakers and that by far improved my language skills in Japanese. I offer to help tutor in the Japanese language to share my passion towards the language as a whole and to help support students during their learning journey!!!
  
  I decided to choose physics as my major in college because I wanted to pick a major that would support my aspirations of becoming a pilot and pursuing a career in aviation!!! Physics is fascinating and in my opinion is the most exciting use of math to help explain the physical world around us!!! Physics also explains how airplanes can fly!!! Airplanes and flight have always fascinated me, so studying physics was a way to explore my love of flight from a whole new perspective!!! I even wrote my senior thesis in college all about the history of flight, and how I refurbished the wind tunnel in my university’s physics lab and brought it back to life after it was collecting dust in a corner for years!!! Now, several generations of students at UNR will be able to use the wind tunnel and learn about aeronautics in a hands-on and fun way!!! I understand how difficult learning physics can be, so I thrive to make physics as easy to learn as possible, and I always put my students first, letting them set the pace of the lesson – something that they don’t usually get the luxury of while taking their physics course that seems to move along way too fast…

• 2) Which artists or works affect you the most?

  The origami artist that I look up to the most is Sadako Sasaki, a girl who tragically passed away way too young but is forever an inspiration to us all!!! She folded over 1,300 paper cranes in hopes of recovering from her illness – she developed leukemia due to her exposure to nuclear radiation during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In Japan there is a legend that if you fold a thousand origami paper cranes, your wish will come true. Sadako’s will to live and determination to get better was an inspiration that left everlasting effects in Japanese society. The origami crane, which has always represented hope, has become a permanent symbol of peace and recovery culturally in Japan and around the world!!! Today, individuals still fold hundreds of cranes to hang among monuments located at the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum to pray for peace!!! It is a beautiful sight to see!!! I have been blessed to have been able to see these statues in person!!! I also got to see a few of the cranes that Sadako folded herself on display in the museum too!!! Sadako inspired me to fold a thousand paper cranes myself!!! I managed to fold a thousand paper cranes while I was on summer vacation during my third year of high school!!! To me, Sadako represents hope and she inspires me to pursue peace and to always treasure life as the gift that it is!!!
  
  As for physics, Albert Einstein has always been an inspiration to me!!! My favorite quote by him is, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough,” and this quote is what I live by when tutoring!!! Einstein to me was a visionary and he thrived to make science understandable and exciting!!! Einstein was also a driving force that propelled physics ahead and was the stepping stone for all the amazing discoveries that followed his research and studies!!! He inspires me to spread the love of physics with the world and to help encourage the students that I tutor that physics can be fun and not a painful struggle!!!

• 3) What are the qualities and skills required to succeed in this area?

  To succeed in origami, the most important skill one must possess is patience and determination. One must be patient and never give up even if an origami pattern is not coming along as planned. Origami takes a ton of patience and practice. The more you practice, the easier it will become to fold more difficult origami patterns. You just have to have the patience and the determination to keep trying, to keep folding, to keep practicing until you fold the pattern to the way you want it to look!!! Never give up and be kind to yourself!!! If you start to feel frustrated, take a step back and take a break until you feel ready again to give it another try!!! It is important to take breaks when folding origami sometimes, because some patterns will test your abilities and your patience, but if you stick to it and you don’t give up you will finish the pattern in the end eventually!!!
  
  As for physics, the most important skills and qualities one must have is determination and – like origami – patience. One must keep practicing and must keep themselves determined in order to conquer their physics courses. Physics encompasses a mountain of different formulas and skills, so it is key to never be too hard on yourself. One must be patient to study all the required formulas, and use their determination to push forward even when the subject matter becomes more difficult as the lessons go on in their courses. Never give up, and remind yourself that it is okay to be human and that it is more than okay to not receive perfect grades all of the time. One of the best pieces of advice I received in college was from my college chemistry TA who once told me, “A grade does not define you,” and this piece of advice was a life-line for me during my many most complicated upper division college level physics courses. Make sure to take breaks when the subject material becomes too complicated, take a step back, give yourself a breather, and ease yourself back into studying that complicated subject when you feel less frustrated and have had a chance to rest your mind. You got this!!! Be patient and stay determined!!!

• 4) What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  The most valuable advice that I can give about how to stay focused on creative projects is to strike while the iron is hot – meaning that if inspiration strikes then go all in and get started!!! It is easier to work on creative projects when you are feeling inspired!!! The inspiration fuels you. Once inspiration strikes, keep working until the inspiration begins to fade, and when it starts to feel like it's more of a “chore” than “fun” that is your signal to take a much-needed break on your creative project. One cannot “force” creativity, so it is key to take breaks and to let the creative inspiration formulate back up again, before you dive back into your project – this is an important thing to consider so you don’t accidentally burn yourself out! To stay focused, it is important to stick to what helps you personally focus the best – whether it is to listen to music, or hang out at your favorite coffee shop, or to hide away in your own room. You also need to pick an environment to work in that helps you focus the best. Picking an environment that makes you feel at peace and comfortable will help boost your creativity and will also help you keep focused!!! Also, it is vital to make sure you remove any elements that will distract or disrupt your creative process!!! Turn off your phone, or silence it – this will probably be your number one distraction… Long story short, the secret to staying focused on a creative project is to create a comfortable distraction-free environment for you to work in and to follow your creative inspirations when they come to mind and to take breaks when you start to feel the creativity draining away. You got this!!!

• 5) How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  My passion is my drive!!! My passion encompasses my love for life and inspires me!!! My passion warms my soul and gives me purpose and direction!!! Ultimately, my passion helps fuel my determination and zest for adventure, happiness, and discovery!!!

• 6) What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  As for creative achievements, I am particularly proud of my thousand paper cranes that I folded – which now live forever in my room as a statement piece decoration that also acts as an epic ice-breaker conversation. I am also extremely proud of the craft shop that started up all by myself to sell my own arts and crafts!!! I make jewelry among other crafts! I also turn my origami creations into jewelry!!!

• 7) Have you ever been surprised by a student; by their ability or quick progression?

  I discovered my passion for tutoring when a family friend asked me to tutor their son. I was still in college at the time, and I was scared that I would not be able to help them succeed in their physics course. I was in my last semester of college so I “technically” in theory had all the knowledge that I needed to help him with his basic introduction to physics course at the college he was attending. At first, I was really nervous and I had no clue if I would be able to help, but he helped me discover that I was a much better teacher than I thought I would be and he taught me how incredible of a feeling it was to help another grasp more difficult topics and to see the “lightbulb” turn on!!! I was surprised how quickly they progressed and I marveled at how their brain interpreted information! I discovered that they understood physics concepts better when I used math metaphors which was amazing to me, and was a creative challenge for me which helped me learn a teaching method where I thought a teaching method like this didn’t exist or was not possible!!! I love learning how students like to learn new material, because everyone learns new information in a different and unique way! I find it fun to learn how to teach a student using their own unique learning style!!! I guess the reason why I adore tutoring so much is because I get to learn so many new things too, and I love to learn! I think the best tutors are the ones who love to learn!!!

• 8) Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  My secret to being a Superprof is always putting the student first, and letting them set the pace for their learning!!! It is important to create an environment where the student feels comfortable and feels confident enough to ask questions freely – so I thrive to construct this learning environment for my students!!! I also strongly believe in being my true authentic self!!! I am a creative individual who thrives to have fun and wants others to feel comfortable enough to be themselves around me!!! I believe that being yourself is the most effective way to learn at your best!!! If you are comfortable enough to ask questions, then you can learn anything!!! As a tutor, I wish to serve as inspiration for my students, and to promote inner confidence