Academic and Educational Philosophy

I am committed to education and access. I believe people succeed and excel when pursuing educational goals that align with their passions and interests. I believe fostering a diverse group of students will improve our communities futures, and I am committed to equity and inclusion in higher education. I believe students and classrooms are enriched by diversity defined in terms of race, sex, gender, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability, gender expression, and sexuality.

I believe students benefit from connecting theory to practice. When we can lead by example and show students how we apply principles in the classrooms they are more likely to engage in course content and to adopt their philosophies of learning as they move forward outside of our classrooms. Building on the work of Paulo Freire I think this model should incorporate inquiry based practices and critical conversation as a knowledge building mode of engagement, applying the work of bell hooks and engaged pedagogy through which we can support and uplift the lived experiences of students is essential to creating a classroom of equitable learning. I believe that the fundamental role of instruction is to foster questions and an environment in which students feel empowered to learn about themselves, each other, and the world. In this capacity, my role is to reflect and affirm, as well as, to provide works, which other educators have shared with me, to my students so that they can provide critical analysis. Scholarship is a conversation that is both contextual and changing.