I am a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where I received my B.A. in History, and the University of Arizona, where I received my M.A. in European History. As part of my training I spent years studying both Latin and German; the latter was my main research language and as part of my undergraduate program I spent three months in Germany learning the language. As a teaching assistant during my graduate program, I led discussion sections for both a World History and a Western Civilization course. I was responsible for creating lesson plans and grading student performance. Having taught students with so many interests (I only ever taught one History major) and of such different backgrounds, I find the challenge of making History interesting and relevant to students a rewarding one. This includes not only making the material of History interesting, but in showing that History is more than simply the memorization of dates and names; I firmly believe that the study of History provides skills critical to a student's academic and personal growth. I enjoy reading, playing guitar and bass, and team sports, especially baseball.