I am a highly competent, engaged tutor with over 20 years of experience in higher education and secondary school teaching and tutoring. I knew I would be a teacher when I met Afghan and Tajik asylum seekers in an ESL school in Islamabad, Pakistan in March 2002. Since then, I have cultivated a habit of passion in personable and professional engagement throughout my career. I have teaching experience in the California State university system and a California community college. I have teaching, teacher training, seminar teaching, and mentoring experience at a SUNY community college, in the U.S. Peace Corps, and in the professional level Peace Corps Response. I communicate with clarity verbally and in writing. As a teacher I believe students should be curious, hoping to discover new ideas, and ready to engage. I do not consider a lot of correction to be productive; correction is most effective when communication is at stake. My students' confidence is most important. Ask questions. Have fun. Learn.

Career Highlights + Timeline:

2002 - TESOL Certificate earned; trip to Pakistan: met Afghan and Tajik women in ESL school in Islamabad and taught two Basic English classes

2002-2005 - Tutored Afghan women asylum seekers in Fremont, CA in Basic English (volunteer)

2005-2007 - Worked full time at Chabot Community College while studying at night. Honors student. Language and Literature conference speaker.

2007-2009 - Began autonomous Teaching Associate position at California State University while completing Masters Degree. Taught Rhetoric & Composition courses. Honors student; Fellowship recipient. Language and Literature conference speaker.

2010-2014 - Teaching Rhetoric & Composition, Freshman Literature, Public Speaking at Schenectady County Community College (in New York). Became college’s Instructional Designer, training teachers how to incorporate technology into their pedagogy. Professional Development, teaching workshops, and departmental trainer. Spearheaded Educational technology workgroup (administration, teachers, librarians, other local Instructional Designers).

2015-2018 - Entered U.S. Peace Corps (Ethiopia 2015-2017), then Peace Corps Response (Comoros 2017-2018) as Education sector volunteer in humanitarian capacity. Taught highschool and conducted high school and preschool teacher training in Ethiopia. Taught university courses and conducted village teacher and Peace Corps volunteer training in Comoros. Highly attended seminar on Ethics Matter (in Teaching) for a foreign NGO in Comoros in 2018. Seniors were the first graduating class of the nascent University of Comoros English Department.

2018-2021 - Federal Civil Rights Investigator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Engaged with members of the public, small and large businesses and corporations, and agency colleagues to address work/workplace-based discrimination. Enforced federal Civil Rights laws, liaised with complainants and businesses, wrote many successful executable conciliation agreements.

2022-Present - Traveling as a digital nomad through France, Turkey, Egypt, Montenegro, Qatar, Thailand, Croatia, and back to Montenegro through the winter.