I grew up in Seattle in a family of independent, curious people who always ask “Why?” I feed my curiosity with reading of all sorts, podcasts, TV, talking to lots of people—and, of course, by listening to students. I studied theater at Whitman College, a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, eventually finding my way to the master’s program in English at Western Washington University. There I discovered composition & rhetoric—a field that me to explore how we use language and symbols to understand who and what we are in the world. I use the tools of my field to explore my various identities and experiences, in particular first-gen, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent.
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Academic Writing & the First-Year Student
- Professional Writing
- Research Writing
- Navigating Higher Education as a Neurodivergent Student and Teacher
Degrees
- Ph.D. Composition & Cultural Rhetoric, Syracuse University, 2007
- M.A. English, Western Washington University, 1999
- M.A. Theater, Western Washington University, 1992
- B.A. Dramatic Art, Whitman College, 1986