I am a graduate of Davidson College and Columbia University. My BA is in English, supplemented with studies in art history and Russian language. I studied abroad in Australia my junior year, where I studied literature and studio art. At Columbia, I earned my Master's in Fine Art in creative writing, with a focus on nonfiction. I have taught in the Columbia Summer High School Program and other Columbia programs, helping students of all abilities with all genres of creative writing, and with reading comprehension. These have been relatively small classes, where I have had the opportunity to get to know my students and provide advice and guidance based on my own academic career. I love helping students in all aspects of college prep, from SAT prep to time management to managing personal anxiety. I also tutor in English literature and GRE test prep. I believe that education should not only prepare one for the job market, but enrich one as a person, providing a wider and deeper worldview. I believe in not only teaching the mechanics of a subject but in helping a student understand the reasons behind those mechanics, to truly think about the material. This results not just in rote memory of facts but in more sophisticated critical thinking and the ability to generate new ideas, two skills that will serve a student for a lifetime, academically, professionally, and personally.
I love to read: reading has been very important to me since I was a kid, and I enjoy helping others appreciate the pleasures of a good book. I balance this with physical activities, including yoga, weight lifting, and running. I play roller derby with New York's Bad Apples, and am so fortunate to be a member of that supportive community of women. I am also writing a memoir about my family, forthcoming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2017.