I believe that learning is a collaborative process of making connections. Student learning happens in a variety of settings on campus—classrooms, labs, through peer mentoring, student organizations—and beyond the academy. To both learn and teach, one has to first listen. Living life is a continual learning process. Learning is about making mistakes, reflecting on them and growing mentally and emotionally as an outcome of these reflections, both personally and collectively.

As an instructor, I seek to create a hands-on learning community in the classroom that facilitates peer-to-peer learning and validates the life experiences students bring to the learning setting. I have taught a wide-range of undergraduate material, including: radio production, composition and public speaking, within the topical areas of media systems, strategic communication, journalism and communication for the life sciences. In addition, in the fall of 2010 I co-coordinated an interdisciplinary graduate seminar addressing issues of science and communication in the twenty-first century. Through these experiences, I fostered a commitment to helping students engage with the world around them, both locally and beyond our borders. In my time as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, outside of formal teaching duties, I have also shared my experiences researching abroad through giving guest lectures and in informal conversations with fellow learners. Continue reading