Ben: Virginia tutor

Certified Tutor

I am currently in the final year of my PhD program at The University of Texas at Austin, where I also completed my undergraduate education. During the last decade, I developed expertise in a wide variety of subjects in the humanities and social sciences because of my interdisciplinary approach to my studies. As an undergraduate, I triple majored in Government, History, and the self-created major of African Development Studies through the Humanities Honors Thesis Program in the College of Liberal Arts, where I was also a member of Plan 1 Honors (the humanities equivalent of the more well-known Plan 2 program). I also obtained minors in Philosophy and African & African Diaspora Studies, as well as a certifications in Human Rights & Social Justice and European Studies. In May 2013, I graduated a Dean's Distinguished Graduate (one of twelve graduating students selected annually for the College of Liberal Arts' highest honor). By August of the same year, I enrolled in my current program to pursue a degree in African History, with a minor in Global History. I will defend my dissertation on the history of sexual health and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of this calendar year.

I always try to emphasize investing in the education of others as my personal form of gratitude for the many opportunities that propelled my own learning. Mentoring my best friend to the point that I felt his own graduate accomplishments surpassed my own has been one of the most rewarding moments of my life thus far. I possess a profound passion for guiding others to that "lightbulb moment", and I have a long history of experience doing so. My qualifications include: coaching debate and public speaking for over five years, both privately and at Westlake High School in Texas; teaching thousands of undergraduate history students at the University of Texas over the course of five years; mentoring several undergraduate thesis students; designing course curriculum and teaching aids; functioning as an Undergraduate Writing Mentor for a large freshman writing course; and providing - in various official capacities - constructive feedback on many of my colleagues' research and writing efforts.

Higher level education in historical topics is almost entirely done through copious amounts of reading and almost all courses conclude with term papers amounting to close to fifty pages in length. The comprehensive exam portfolio that marked my transition from PhD Student to PhD Candidate alone consisted of over four hundred pages of quality written work. My dissertation, once finished, will be similar. Additionally, I have edited and proofread several published academic books. Finally, I am the author of over thirty pieces of written work, including chapters and articles printed by various respected academic publishers. I presented much of this research at conferences all over the world, including a paper which earned the award for the best written work from the University of Alabama in 2014.

I possess over a decade of learned expertise in history, and much of my published research is held in high regard by my peers and mentors alike. My undergraduate honors thesis approached history from the direction of political science and political economy, while my current efforts examine the social and political impact of trends in global history and the history of medicine in sub-Saharan Africa. While Africa is my regional specialty, I have also taught classes in both 20th century Texan history and the history of the modern U.S. In 2015, I even taught a seminar on the global history of disease to a collection of AP World History teachers seeking to build curriculum around this topic. Historical education requires a particular style of style of writing which emphasizes the construction of effective arguments and the use of evidence to tie ideas together in a way that is distinct from the type of writing encouraged in other fields. Articulating concepts utilizing this style is by far my most refined skill.

I am certainly open to discussing tutoring options further. Because I value quality education, I want to make sure that I am an appropriate fit for any student interested in working with me. This said, the lengthy amount of time I have spent with The University of Texas at Austin has granted me qualifications to educate in topics well outside of the narrow focus of my dissertation research. I have explored topics in the fields of social work, business ethics, philosophy, law, the history of science, and many more. I encourage any inquiries seeking clarification about whether I am able to provide mentorship in any particular field of study.