We Make Learning Accessible
"We enable students of all ages to thrive academically and personally because we believe that everyone has the potential to learn, and the right to quality learning experiences that are both physically and emotionally accessible. Our empathetic understanding of learners’ challenges, allows us to offer students holistic and innovative solutions that are personalized for each student’s unique learning needs, developed to restore students’ confidence, and constructed to provide students with the tools they will need to overcome obstacles and achieve continued success.” -Erika R. Carson, Ed.S, Founder & CEO
Our Core Values
What Gets Us Up In The Morning
Every student is unique and deserves support
Every person has the potential to learn and should be presented with the access and opportunity to do so. Everyone learns differently, in their own time, in a place where they feel safe, and in a way that “speaks to them."
Your success is our top priority
We are committed to using a holistic approach that blends best practices, innovation, and personalization when working with students. Whether it’s with us or not, we want what is best for each learner.
Building community and resources benefits all
“It takes a village” to lift every learner up to their full potential. Through mentorship and coaching, we’re able to build supportive, academic relationships that extend beyond just tutoring and content.
Our Story
The Brain Bodega grew out of our founder and CEO, Erika's, fierce desire to advocate for struggling learners and her continued passion to help ALL students thrive. We are an education services company that is committed to teaching students how to overcome their learning challenges and never give up on themselves. Launching The Brain Bodega in 2021, was a dream come true for us. With the support of family, friends, students' families, our partners, and a list of many others who have continued to support and believe in our mission, we've been able to help so many students.
When Erika faced her battle against cancer as a kid, she knew it was her community and teachers, her "village," which rallied around her and enabled her to graduate high school a semester early, at the top of her class. She also learned from her firsthand experiences, interacting with students negatively impacted by non-supportive learning environments and as a graduate student, challenged by the latent effects of her cancer treatments, in an environment where she struggled to find the support that she needed. With the hope of recreating a positive learning environment like the "village" she had in middle school and high school, where students never have to suffer as a result of their learning challenges, she launched The Brain Bodega.
We've built a company that is surrounded by people who also believe that ALL students can learn, in the way and on a timeline that works best for them - a company that helps students to thrive!
(*Erika volunteering in high school - teaching a middle school cancer student - 1995)
Paying It Forward
Erika R. Carson, Ed.S.
Erika is an “OG” childhood and teen cancer survivor, having completed two and a half years of chemotherapy and radiation in 1992. Her journey gave her early insight into just how challenging learning can be when life presents obstacles, and it continues to fuel her passion for supporting students through adversity.
She earned her B.S. in Engineering Psychology (Ergonomics/Human Factors) from Tufts University in 1999 and, shortly after, set out on a seven-month backpacking trip around the world. Upon her return, Erika built a career in human-computer interaction as a specialist with iVillage.com.
Still, she felt a deep calling toward education. In 2005, she transitioned into teaching through the New York City Teaching Fellows program, earning her M.S. in Special Education from CCNY. Over the next five years, she taught STEM and special education in NYC public schools, while also serving her school communities in a variety of roles. She later earned an Ed.S. in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design from the University of Virginia.
Erika’s career has spanned both classrooms and leadership roles. She has served as Director of Outreach Programming at the Science Museum of Virginia, as Chief Learning Officer for an ed-tech start-up, and, most recently, as founder of The Brain Bodega, LLC, launched in 2021. Across each chapter of her journey, Erika has combined her lived experience, teaching expertise, and love of innovation to inspire new, holistic approaches to learning, so along with her sister Marisa, super tech Scott, and the rest of The Brain Bodega team, they can help ALL students thrive!
Why the name The Brain Bodega?
The name of the company is a nod to Erika’s Hispanic heritage, as well as a nod to her early years teaching in New York City surrounded by bodegas – small corner stores that offer just about everything you’ll need from soda to stockings. Like the bodegas in NYC, The Brain Bodega offers education services that are tailored to the various needs of learners.
Ready To Get Started?
Give us a call at 804-404-6580