I am a 2014 graduate from The University of Arizona with a Ph.D. in Special Education with a focus on Deafness and a minor in Family Studies and Human Development. I graduated with a Master's degree in Deaf Education in 2004 from The University of Arizona and earned my Bachelor's degree from the University of California at San Diego and at The University of Toulouse Le Mirail in the south of France in 1998. I am a certified Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing and have taught at a center school for the deaf and in the public school setting as a classroom teacher and as an itinerant teacher. I completed a doctoral student externship at The University of Kansas in 2012 and my research focus is on the development of self-determination for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. I have supervised graduate and undergraduate students at The University of Arizona and have tutored students in various subjects but really enjoy the Social Sciences and Linguistics areas. My tutoring philosophy evolved from my years of teaching experience. As I reflect on my beliefs regarding teaching and learning, I find that my mission as a tutor is threefold: to promote positive learning, to spark learner enthusiasm for learning, to provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning. I play the piano and the flute and am trying to master the harmonica. I am a long distance runner and love running. I am a big NFL fan and am forever a Pittsburgh Steelers fan!