I received my BSc in Biology and MSc in Environmental Studies both at Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey and my PhD in Marine Science: Biological Oceanography at University of Puerto Rico, where I worked on tagging and tracking movement patterns of white grunts.  Among my school and work history, I went to Kenya, East Africa with The School for Field Studies and I worked on commercial fishing boats for NOAA out of Gloucester, MA. I have been doing research and teaching from preK- post grad level- but college is my niche to help harness students with the tools needed to set up their next adventure in their academic careers and beyond! I have experience in traditional in-person and online lecture-based direct teacher- to-student instruction and open-ended student-driven-learning through inquiry-based instruction. I love to create a safe, trusting space for personalized independent and collaborative experiential opportunities for all students so they can push their thinking and learn by doing and caring.

Teaching philosophy:
It is my philosophy that higher education institutions must aspire to the following ideals: engage with one another socially, emotionally, and intellectually, within a supportive community; promote character, authenticity, and integrity; develop exceptional intra-personal strengths in students to ask profound questions and think critically to solve important problems; and create passionate, informed citizens and advocates for social justice and conservation biology. In order to prepare students for life in an interdisciplinary, interconnected, interpersonal and cosmopolitan world, we must create the drawing board for students to develop and grow in their ability to consider issues from multiple perspectives through a lens of critical evaluation.