Biography

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by history. I’ve spent vast swathes of my life obsessed with one historical period or another, ranging from Elizabethan England to the American Civil War to Classical Rome. By college my particular area of interest was in post- Roman Europe. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Early Medieval Germanic law codes and the Merovingian court.

I graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a BA in History. In my years helping friends and peers prepare for difficult exams and craft well-researched historical essays, I have found that the best learning experiences are unique and far from interchangeable. Every learning opportunity is a personal moment with history, an insight across time that informs the student’s view of both past and present.

History for me is not about memorizing lists of dates and names, it is about learning a story. Once you know the story, the dates and names will come along. From researching and analyzing documents to exploring dense textbooks, I have found that history becomes more interesting and rewarding the deeper I go. Tutoring is my way of sharing my passion for history with others.

My tutoring style is engaging and highly customizable. Each student comes to understand the material in a different way, and the study of history is particularly amenable to a flexible approach. Though the range of topics on standardized history exams is narrow, it is still best grasped through a pattern-based and conceptual study of history. I strive to achieve this level of deeper understanding with students, and I find great satisfaction in making the process memorable and enjoyable.

I deeply enjoy helping students of all ages gain an introduction to standardized testing. I emphasize the development of test-taking skills, multiple choice strategy, and question familiarization. I love helping my students begin to see exams such as the SAT, ACT or high school entrance exams as conquerable. I believe that a student’s experience with testing is an important moment for confidence going into both college and high school.

Outside of my work with students, as head of the history department, I enjoy mentoring new tutors and developing materials for them to use with students. This role helps me spread my passion for teaching history and interact with fellow history enthusiasts, all of whom have fascinating unique content to teach not only their students but also their peers!

In my spare time I read anything I can find, from fiction to a random Icelandic Saga that I found in a used bookstore. I also enjoy playing the tabletop role playing games with my friends and family, and watching movies and TV shows, especially ones set in the past.