My professional development over the past decade has revolved around two distinctive yet overlapping fields of pursuit. I have worked consistently as an educator, particularly in language arts, writing, and literature. I work with students of all ages and skill levels, and I am especially interested and experienced working with students who have special needs. Along with teaching, I am also a freelance editor and consultant, primarily for people working in higher education. I collaborate with educators on their academic writing; most often academic texts and research books and articles.
This work allows me to utilize my talent and passion for language and literature, as well as my passion for education. As an editor, I help enable esteemed scholars and academics craft their written work to make their specialized knowledge available and accessible to educators and students. Some of my past collaborative efforts have resulted in the successful publication of scholarly articles, books, textbooks, dissertations, collections of plays, essays, translations, and short stories. My most recent collaborative project was nominated for a literary award for outstanding translation of contemporary Russian fiction.
I received a BA in French and English from Indiana University in 2007, and graduated on the Dean's list with honors, and won the prestigious Quinten B. Hope award for excellence in French Language Studies. I studied one year at the University of Provence, in Aix-en-Provence, France. I am a fluent French speaker, interpreter, translator, and writer in French. I also have taught French and English in schools, camps, and tutoring sessions. I studied Rehabilitation Counseling at Hunter College in graduate school, and hope to continue my studies in education and one day soon be a public school teacher.
I love working with children, and there is nothing else that gives me a greater sense of fulfillment. I have worked with children of all ages from infancy to adolescence as an advocate, instructor and counselor. I have worked as a yoga instructor, camp counselor, language instructor, soccer coach and assistant teacher of art. I have supervised and created classes designed specifically for children with special needs and learning disabilities. I also have had the opportunity to work for the Time In Arts Initiative. Time In is a grant-funded outreach program working to provide enrichment through arts to Pre-K students who attend underserved and struggling public schools in the Bronx and Manhattan. At Time In I was able to combine my interests by working both as an assistant art instructor and grant writer for the program.
I believe that the role of an educator is to identify ways to make information accessible to every student. I want to instill in every student the confidence to ask questions and seek information. I believe that encouraging curiosity is what allows for successful learning.