I have always been fascinated with superheroes. As a child, I would sit in awe as I turned the pages of my favorite comic books. My favorite quality in a superhero was not their strength, but their ability to expand the peripheries of knowledge. Contributing to the expansion of knowledge and education went from childhood fantasy to reality and I hope that each one of my students becomes empowered by the knowledge they accumulate while working with me.
If it is not fairly obvious, I am very nerdy and it would be a lie to say that it does not influence my teaching skills. I use different pop cultural references to explain a concept more thoroughly or rally motivation when needed. Though I am a nerd, teaching and student retention is always my first priority. I have been teaching higher education public speaking courses for the past three years and have seen and practiced the various ways in which students learn and engage in the course material. In my classes, I try to engage somewhat in a Socratic method of teaching where I prompt my students, offer them a framework for their conclusion, and then have them strategize ways in which the goal can be made. I do not expect my students to have "perfect" work or a "perfect" session because I know that the term "perfect" is subjective. Rather, I expect my students to come to each meeting with a goal (learn this topic, finish and get a certain grade on a speech, etc.) and success depends on meeting said goal. I much rather have my students feel successful in obtaining their goal than self-conscious for work that others might not interpret as perfect.
My research interests include the study of rhetorical messages, pop culture, gender, and social movements. My areas of expertise for teaching include public speaking, essay writing and composition, history, sociology, philosophy, English, and literature.