Our Instructors >> Josh Yardley
Josh Yardley
Josh cut his teaching teeth as a math professor in Bomborokuy, a village in the small West African country of Burkina Faso, where he served for two years with the U.S. Peace Corps. Josh’s rationale for joining the Peace Corps after graduating from MIT with degrees in Computer Science and Management wasn’t so much “Save the world” as it was “Avoid careers in software development,” but the former soon trumped the latter as Josh became a part of his village community and saw first-hand the awesome transformative power of education.
Inspired by his students and colleagues in that village school in Burkina, Josh returned to the States and began work with a non-profit in D.C. implementing a $100 million education reform project in Pakistan. He expected this work to be sort of like that of a Peace Corps volunteer, only with the big cash to help make big things happen. Turns out large-scale development is slightly more complicated than that, but Josh is determined to figure out a way to simplify, coordinate, and enhance the thousands of different development efforts taking place around the world.
Josh is an enthusiastic tennis player, loyal Red Sox fan, and avid traveler. He has visited all 48 contiguous U.S. states, received an award from then-President Clinton at the White House, and scored a 780 on the GMAT. He has 6 brothers and sisters whom he loves very much. He has been called the “greatest test prep tutor ever” (by his girlfriend who was studying for the GRE). He is currently studying development economics at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Feedback From Josh’s Recent Students
“He is extremely approachable. Super smart, incredibly kind. Makes himself available. He never makes you feel stupid even when you're wrong.”
“Josh is highly organized and maximizes the time available for each class session. As the classes progressed Josh seemed to tailor the material to the ability level of the students which was very helpful. He was always available before and after class for additional discussion and Q & A.”
