Tara Renner holds a BS in Wildlife Biology from Frostburg State University in Western Maryland and a Masters of Education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Tara is originally from New York and developed a passion for science and the environment at a very young age. She began her career as a small mammal biologist in Maryland and West Virginia working with the USFS. She then joined AmeriCorps where she worked in outdoor education and on natural resource conservation projects. This is where Tara found her true passion, taking groups of students out in the field and sharing her love and knowledge of the natural world. This inspired her to pursue a Masters of Education while living in Arizona. She continued traveling west from there and began teaching in Los Angeles in 2004. Tara has spent her professional career teaching a variety of math and science courses, excelling at building confidence in difficult subject areas while helping students realize their full potential.  Throughout the years, Tara has strived to lower math and science anxiety using strategies that build on each learner’s individual strengths.  She holds a CA teacher certificate and has taught in the public and private sector for 15 years before joining the wonderful staff at SYP.!