I received my B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of Chicago, where I was active on the debate team. Afterwards, I moved to Boston (my family is originally from New England). I supported myself working as a lab technician while I did some free-lance writing for community newspapers. In 1989 I moved to Atlanta, where my family was living. I was a caseworker for the state of Georgia in Clarke, Gwinnett, Dekalb and Carroll counties where I worked extensively with the Latino, Vietnamese, Bosnian, and Somali communities. I did a lot of volunteer work teaching ESL, an experience I enjoyed so much I decided to pursue a graduate degree, with the intention of becoming a teacher. I was accepted into the M.A. program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University; my concentration was in the history of biology and religion. While there I assisted teaching classes in history and film, gave guest lectures, organized and taught writing workshops, and tutored students in writing and history on an individual basis. I enjoyed my teaching experience at FSU because it allowed me to combine my interest in history and writing. My students reported that as their writing improved, their academic performance improved in all their classes-- even in the sciences. I think the ability to write well cultivates skills that can be transferred to nearly any discipline. After I received my M.A., I returned to Atlanta to stay with my father, and plan to apply to the library science program at Valdosta State University. I enjoy teaching British and American literature, especially poetry, but my great love is history and the teaching of writing. I love reading and currently have several writing projects I am working on. I used to lift weights fairly seriously, and I am trying to get back into it.