The most profound and transformative learning takes place at the edge of our comfort zones.

An educator and advisor, I encourage my students and advisees to “get out there” as much as they can, to discover their environment and context and in doing so, learn as much as they can about themselves. 

My undergraduate studies in politics and anthropology - along with various arts, humanities and social sciences courses - took place at a very small and very liberal college. Inspired by John Dewey, this progressive institution focused on education through self-discovery and learning-by-doing. My Masters in International Affairs was granted by a university with a similar philosophy of education through critical inquiry. This school leveraged its location in the heart of New York City, encouraging its students to connect to the city-as-classroom. Inspired by these educational paradigms, I believe that a connection to the context in which learning takes place is central to retention. Our physical environment an invaluable resource and NOW is (always) an extremely interesting and pivotal time to be in the midst of an educational (or career, or life) journey.

I am interested in emboldening young people to become active participants in their own lives, and in their communities. I accomplish this by highlighting any and all opportunities for them to vote, volunteer, attend cultural and political events, to become active in politics, their schools and their communities. When students are able to see that their efforts can make a difference in their own or others’ lives, they are able to develop a stronger sense of purpose, agency and empowerment.

I am inspired by Paolo Friere’s pedagogy of learning as the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.  My particular strength as an academic advisor comes from my own experiences as a student, academic, consultant and many years in the trenches as a job-hunter. Having benefitted from the skillful interventions of advisors at important times, I understand how essential that relationship can in allowing one to gain self-confidence, awareness and clarity necessary for progress.  

I believe that my purpose as an advisor is to help students understand and use the tools necessary to be self-regulated and resilient, to take responsibility for their own learning, to reflect critically on their education and career aspirations, and discover their own strengths and weaknesses as learners. The students I advise reflect the extreme diversity of New York in terms of their race/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and household/family situations. Many of them are first-generation college students, those who may be referred to as “at-risk”, benefitting from basic/remedial coursework to help them prepare for the rigors and discipline of college learning. They are often easily discouraged, and technology addiction, burnout and disenchantment with academia are common problems. As advisor, I provide these students with guidance, mindfulness, reassurance and care, taking a holistic approach to not only the academic and intellectual aspects of their college lives but to their overall mental and physical wellness.