PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Garden School, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY
English and Humanities Teacher, 2016 - Current
Teach English and Humanities to grades 7-12 as part of the school’s Upper Division curriculum in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. I also chair the English department.
Create original lessons and unit plans that cater to my students skills, identity, and critical thinking.
Organize Summer Reading programs for the school’s Upper Division.
Work with Upper Division teachers to expand “the canon,” and to introduce literature from diverse perspectives, languages and identities.
Co-created a school wide empathy program that is used across the entire school.
Storefront Academy Harlem, New York, NY
6th Grade Humanities Teacher, 2015 - 2016
Taught Sixth Grade English Language Arts, History, Reading, and Writing at an independent, no-tuition school in Harlem.
Served as the Sixth Grade homeroom and advisory teacher.
The New York Public Library, New York, NY
Enrichment Zone Tutor, 2014 - 2015
Tutored grades 1-8 during an after-school program run by the New York Public Library at both the Bronx Library Center, Hunt’s Point, and Francis Martin libraries
ASA College, New York, NY
Adjunct Instructor, 2011 - 2014
Taught survey courses in Ethics and the History of Philosophy at a two-year private school to traditional and nontraditional college students in Brooklyn and Mid-Manhattan.
De La Salle High School, New Orleans, LA
English Instructor, 2008 - 2010
Designed and taught courses in World Literature and American Literature for Ninth and Eleventh-grade high school students, respectively.
Directed high school productions of Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers and Frank Levy’s adaptation of The Sword in the Stone.
EDUCATION
B.A., Liberal Arts with Major in Philosophy
Saint Joseph Seminary College, 2002
Ph.B., Philosophy
K.U. Leuven, Belgium, 2001
M.A., English
Southeastern Louisiana University, 2009
M.A., Philosophy
New School for Social Research, The New School University, New York, 2012
Ad. Cert. Adolescent English (for Grades 7-12)
CUNY Hunter College, New York (Awarded May of 2023)
HONORS/AWARDS
National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar, Amherst College, Summer 2019
New School for Social Research Tuition Scholarship 2010 - 2012
Southeastern Louisiana University Travel Grant 2006 - 2007
Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund Dorothy Prize 2005
Father Michael J. McGivney Vocations Scholarship 2004 - 2005
DeRancé Foundation Scholarship for Philosophy 2000 - 2001
Other Certifications
Professional Teaching Certification
I have a New York State teaching certificate that requires renewal every five years, contingent upon completing 100 Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credits.
Google Certified Educator Level 1
Google Apps Certification Program. Google for Education Certification Programs.
Kahoot! Certified for Schools (Gold)
Kahoot! Certified Educator Program. kahoot.com.
NewsELA Certified Educator
5 Hours of Professional Development. Certified Educator Program. NewsELA Educator Center. Newsela.com.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM
The Brooklyn Book Bodega, NY 2020 - Current
- Organize, stack, and categorize books to help the organization distribute books “to every New Yorker.”
The UniProject, New York, NY 2015 - 2020
- Staff a public mobile library in public places around the city.
- Partner with my local school’s Key Club to recruit teen volunteers.
ReLit NY: Book Donation and Recycling in New York City 2012 - 2015
- Co-Directed an urban book recycle and redistribution program.
- Distributed 500 donated books monthly to New Yorkers at designated subway stations and parks.
Pennies for Bread, Saint Joseph Abbey, Saint Benedict, LA, 2002 - 2008
- Assisted in baking and delivering 2,000 loaves of bread each week for the hungry; and, distributed the bread to designated charitable organizations in the greater New Orleans area.
PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
“Intermediate Google Classroom Workshop” for classroom teachers. Garden School, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, New York, 2020.
“Teaching English Language Learners Across the Curriculum: Tips and Strategies,” Garden School Teacher-Driven Workshop, New York, New York, 2018
“Being on the Spectrum and Why it Matters,” an article published on Noodle.com, May 2010
“Using Google Docs in the Classroom,” De La Salle High School Spring Faculty Professional Development Workshop, New Orleans, LA, 2010.
“Effective Search Strategies on the Internet,” De La Salle High School Fall Faculty Professional Development Workshop, New Orleans, LA, 2009.
“Youth and Masculinity and the Shattering of Sight in Orhan Pamuk’s Snow,” in Essays Interpreting the Writings of Novelist Orhan Pamuk: The Turkish Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Edited by Nilgün Anadolu-Okur. Mellen Press, 2009.
“Going Where They Are: User-Centered Design and Delivery,” American Library Association Conference, Washington, D.C., in collaboration with Susan Blalock and Bonnie Bess Wood, 2007.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Modern Language Association, 2005 - Present
National Council of Teachers of English, 2019 - Present
