I hold two Bachelor of Arts degrees (in Political Science and Sociology) from Harwick College in Upstate New York. I also completed a Master of Arts degree in Geography from SUNY Albany, as well as a Master of Science in Public Management from Sullivan University in Louisville. In addition, I earned a Graduate Certificate in Social theory from the University of Kentucky and have 30 graduate hours in Sociology. I have been teaching at the collegiate level for over ten years. My instruction experience includes leading discussion and review sessions to instructing classes of various sizes. I also have experience instructing students ranging in age from high schoolers to folks in their early 60's. The majority of my teaching experience has been in the social sciences, particularly geography and sociology, as well as in teaching foundational college skills. In addition, I am interested in politics and government, American and world history and current events. I see my teaching philosophy as grounded in helping students find the best way to access information and facilitating new knowledge learning by connecting information to prior knowledge and experience. I came up with a saying that 'you can lead a student to knowledge but you can't make them learn,' which for me boils down to making connections to real-world outcomes/applications. I am interested in helping students, no matter the subject, find answers to the fundamental question: why do I need to know this? Outside of teaching, I enjoy walking and listening to podcasts, streaming movies and television, and engaging with friends in a book club.