During this time, I participated in an exchange program in Dublin, Ireland where I learned many of the approaches I still use today for teaching people from different backgrounds. Currently, I work at Wright College in Chicago where my goal is to help students form meaningful connections with their studies - the kind of connections that become a part of your daily life. My teaching philosophy? I believe that learning is a bridge between the student and the world at large. In school, a lot of stress is put on learning the structure of the material; memorizing rules and then drilling the concepts. While that may work for some, I've found that the most engaging - and fun! - way to learn is to start with your individual interests and build from there. The beauty of language is that it continues to evolve and I believe the more you understand the way we use language, the more you will continue to evolve as a person. In my free time I enjoy playing music (guitar, piano, singing, air guitar), hiking, travel, and playing soccer with friends. I can also be a huge geek when it comes to music, film and video games - and yes, I enjoy reading for pleasure.

Music, soccer, reading, hiking, and camping