I am a Chicago native by birth and grew up near the city’s southwest side where I attended St. Albert the Great Catholic Grammar School and then St. Laurence High School, an all-male Catholic high school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. Upon graduating high school, I majored in History at Loyola University.
Having been active in campus life while at Loyola, I thought I wanted to pursue a career in Higher Education Administration and so enrolled in the Master of Arts program at New York University. I started and ended different jobs in student affairs and student activities while at NYU and after graduating, but I mostly was dissatisfied because I did not think I was putting my History degree to good use. I decided to pursue my state teaching certification and Master of Science through Northwestern University’s secondary teaching program.
For a couple of different reasons I relocated to Philadelphia in the late 1990’s (suffice it to say it involved a woman) and started teaching history and social studies at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA, just outside of the city. After about three years, however, I still felt restless, thinking I still had something more important to do. I decided to chase my life-long dream of attaining a doctorate in history, thinking such a credential would provide opportunities and platforms to influence public debates about schools and education. I applied to and I was privileged to be admitted to the history program at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, ultimately earning my PhD in 2008. I began teaching in the College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago in 2009.
For a couple of different reasons I relocated to Philadelphia in the late 1990’s (suffice it to say it involved a woman) and started teaching history and social studies at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA, just outside of the city. After about three years, however, I still felt restless, thinking I still had something more important to do. I decided to chase my life-long dream of attaining a doctorate in history, thinking such a credential would provide opportunities and platforms to influence public debates about schools and education. I applied to and I was privileged to be admitted to the history program at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, ultimately earning my PhD in 2008. I began teaching in the College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago in 2009.
I realize at this point in my life that I have spent more time in school than out, and even my career pursuits have been centered in and around schools or some educational setting. I think it is safe to say that teaching and education are in my blood.
