Kurtis is currently pursuing an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he works as a graduate research assistant with a focus on magnetic communication and sensing technologies. A high-achieving student since high school, Kurtis earned scores of 36 on the ACT and a 1570 on the SAT. In addition, he has experience in 15 AP courses with a score of 4 or 5 on each. Previous teaching experience includes working as a volunteer tutor in high school, as well as working as a course grader during his undergrad, where he held regular office hours to assist students with course material.