I completed a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry; a Master's Level Certificate in Composition, Literacy, Pedagogy, and Rhetoric; and a Master's Level Certificate in Women's Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012. I also completed a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Southern Indiana in 2007. Currently, I teach at the university level and also tutor students interested in becoming better writers, readers, and thinkers. In both group and one-on-one learning environments, I'm interested in getting to know students on a personal level to better understand them as individuals who often learn in many different ways. By meeting them where they are personally as well as academically, I can gauge which will be the best teaching approach for each individual student. I firmly believe in a safe, open, and friendly environment for all learning. In my experience, students often learn most when they feel respected, heard, and engaged. I employ various methods to spark interest and create successful follow-through habits to ensure assignments are completed in an effective and timely manner. I also focus on how understanding is met, so we can retrace our steps together, and show students how to use this approach when they have difficulties later on. My ultimate goal as an educator is to find ways to help students recognize the problems within their own work and arm them with the tools to change these tendencies so, in the future, they will have a stronger skill set for writing and reading, both incredibly useful, sought-after skills that lead to greater success in academic, and post-academic life. Most everyone is taught how to read and write, but few learn how to read and write well. I can help students develop skills for learning how to read, comprehend, and remember difficult material. I can also help with essay writing, editing, and revision. Many times, I've even persuaded students who initially disliked English to actually enjoy it. Personally, when I'm not teaching, reading, or writing, I enjoy cooking, caring for plants, and taking walks with my dog.