My teaching experiences range from independent secondary schools, to public high schools, to undergraduates in college settings, to a charter performing arts high school. I have taught classes in AP Biology, Honors Biology, Life Science, Physical Science, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, and Human Health. I aspire to convey to my students both my knowledge of biological sciences as well as my sense of wonder for the natural world. I am passionate about tutoring students and helping them succeed. I believe students learn best when engaged in processes that encourage creative thinking and innovative problem-solving.
I am a graduate of Mount Holyoke College where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry with an interest in molecular genetics. Subsequently, I earned both a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Arts in Biological Sciences from Smith College. My own academic career culminated when I received my PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Boston University. During my eight years as a graduate student, I conducted independent research studying the cell and molecular processes involved during embryonic development of mice, chicks, and zebrafish. Not only have I studied science as an academic discipline, but I have been a scientist, learning through basic research. I developed experiments, conducted them, analyzed the results, and learned to draw conclusions that led to new questions to be asked and new hypotheses to be tested. Being a scientist necessitates creativity and innovative thinking, for one never knows when the next break-through may happen.
In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, boating, cooking, and relaxing with my family and my Labrador retrievers. Also, I am a huge musical theater enthusiast, having performed in. many community theater productions and attending shows on Broadway when I can.