Jesuit Alumni Trio ('02) Runs Tutoring Agency

Three alumni graduated from the Carmichael school in 2002 and went their separate ways, eventually winding up as independent tutoring contractors.

David Campos, Brian Geremia and Brent Pottenger, all graduates from the Jesuit Class of 2002, came together in 2008 and decided to create Academic Impact, which provides in-home tutorial services in the Sacramento area. Students are paired with high quality tutors who serve as role models and provide academically rigorous, personalized tutoring in all subjects.

"There was a need for people who want a mentor for their children," said Pottenger, who has a Master of Health Administration graduate degree from the University of Southern California. "We teach study and organizational skills...and we found similar people who had the ability to connect with kids to join us as tutors."

The three also helped found Game Plan Academy, a four week camp where student-athletes receive mentorship and coaching in football, academics, and college preparation. Former Jesuit football star Gio Carmazzi, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, leads the football training along with Alex Van Dyke, a former Burbank High School and University of Nevada, Reno standout who played with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders.

Campos, Geremia and Pottenger, say their time at Jesuit led them to where they are today.

"We were peer mentors as seniors and helped coach freshmen in basketball," said Geremia, who graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2006, earning a degree in English and a minor in secondary education. "We connected with people younger than us."

Campos, who graduated from Stanford University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, said that while at Jesuit, he was a member of the California Scholarship Federation, which promotes promotes peer tutoring.

"(With Academic Impact) you build relationships with the families," he said. "The students know you're coming and can rely on you so they are more prepared when you arrive."

Campos completed a Masters of Science degree in counseling, with an emphasis in K-12 and career counseling in December at California State University, Sacramento.

Geremia said he is also working at his family's company, Geremia Pools, while pursuing a master's degree in taxation at Golden Gate University before he plans to attend law school in Northern California.

Pottenger will attend medical school at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

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Information: www.academicimpact.net or 916-402-4426