Meet the Mateo Tutoring Team:
We have continued to serve the community school year after school year because of the wonderful, passion-driven individuals who compose our team.
Lariel Mateo, M.S.
Founder + Educator
About Lariel
Lariel started Mateo Tutoring in July of 2020 and has served as founder, educator, and educational consultant since then.
Lariel holds a Master of Science in Applied Exercise Science and a Bachelor’s in Health and Exercise Science. Exercise physiology was the basis for her academy curiosity, but soon became her avenue for research, curriculum development, and teaching. Before starting Mateo Tutoring, she represented other well-established educational organizations that serve the Stockton community, such as former private tutoring business Muskal Assessment & Learning Clinic, Inc; the Career Resource Center and General Academic Tutoring Center at the University of the Pacific; the AVID program within the Stockton Unified School District; and charter school Venture Academy Family of Schools.
Lariel’s teaching philosophy is embodied by the idea that effective educators teach students how to learn. She takes much interest in cognitive science and how it applies to learning and one-on-one instruction. She believes that strategies that are both based in research and specific to each student are able to transcend subject areas and time. The opportunity to influence students’ trajectory has been a hallmark of Lariel’s life.
When Lariel is not teaching, she loves going on trail and beach runs with her Australian Shepherd Top. She taps into her create side through her anatomy art brand Made For Everybody. As a player for United States korfball and the Portuguese club Quinta dos Lombos, a coach, and representative of the United States Korfball Federation and International Korfball Federation, she is a proponent of the mixed gender team sport korfball.
She and the Mateo Tutoring team hope to inspire students’ confidence in themselves and their capacity to make a unique impression on this world.
Leo Libres
College Admissions Counselor
About Leo
Leo joined the Mateo Tutoring team in March of 2025. From searching for, applying to, and selecting colleges to pursuing a trade to exploring alternative routes, such as taking a gap year or entering the workforce, Leo uses his 15+ years of experience to guide high school students and their families through the post-secondary school process.
In addition to serving as our college admissions counselor, Leo is a college counselor in a professional, academic setting and is en route to completing the College Counseling Program at University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to his current roles, he has worked in higher education for over 14 years, holding various positions within student services. His professional experience has provided insight into diverse areas of academia, forged connections with professors, deans, and other key stakeholders in education, and allowed him to reach students of all levels: high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice & Organizational Leadership and an Associate of Applied Science in Business Software Applications. As a first-generation college student growing up in a single parent household in Stockton, California and not having any post-secondary guidance, it is Leo’s goal to share the institutional knowledge he has gained over the years.
When he is away from the professional setting, he spends a large amount of time golfing. He is super obsessed with it. It is a sport that is brutal and unforgiving and that challenges players mentally due to its small margin for error (sort of like life). The sport humbles even the most high and mighty and because he will never conquer it, he finds it thrilling to try. He does carve out a good amount of time to binge watch movies or television series with his wife. They visit local hiking trails and out of town golf courses and attend professional sporting events thanks to his daughter who gives them free tickets to see the A’s, Giants, Rivercarts, Ports, and Kings. Most importantly, he spends quality time with their fur baby.
Madeline Brown
Career & Study Abroad Advisor
About Madeline
Madeline joined the Mateo Tutoring team as a tutor in March of 2023 until she graduated with her undergraduate degree. She has since then returned to our team in these new roles.
Madeline is an alumna of the University of the Pacific and a graduate student at the Middlebury Institute of International Students, where she will earn her Master of Art in International Education Management next year. She currently works for Stockton Unified School District as a substitute teacher and loves connecting with students from all backgrounds and education levels.
In her free time, Madeline enjoys traveling, cooking, crocheting, painting, and going camping. Fun fact: Madeline studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for an entire academic year in college!
Muskaan Mann
Career Coach & Post-Secondary Advisor
About Muskaan
Muskaan joined the Mateo Tutoring team as an Academic Tutor in 2022 and her areas of expertise included Psychology, Philosophy, English, History, Anthropology, and Sociology, with a focus on student goals, such as exam preparation and subject comprehension at the college level. Since then, Muskaan has graduated from the University of the Pacific (UOP) with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy, and in 2024, Muskaan received the UOP Woman of Distinction Award! She now returns to the team in these new and continued roles.
During her time at UOP, Muskaan worked at the Career Services Center as a Career Coach where she was trained in career coaching models and resume, personal statement, reference list, and cover letter writing and delivered events, programs, and workshops in collaboration with the UOP Writing Center. As a Program Support Intern at Upward Bound TRiO, she focused on enrichment programs for low income, first generation Edison High School Students by providing them with Academic and Career Counseling and Post-secondary advising. Quoting her Career Services supervisor, Muskaan believes that, “If students are the car, then we are the GPS,” Long-term, she hopes students become self-sufficient through the skills they gain and can teach others around them.
Aside from her professional and academic pursuits, Muskaan enjoys painting, being outdoors, and meowing at cats in her free time! But yes, she loves cats!
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