Fun Facts

I love to read, read, read! If given the chance, I would wear out my Kindle reading. I also play volleyball at every opportunity, which unfortunately is not often. One thing people I meet find out about me pretty quickly is that I am Georgia born and proud of it (but no, I was not named for Scarlett O'Hara though I am from the Atlanta area)!

About Me

I am a history Ph.D. candidate at Texas Christian University, with a GPA of 3.97. I received the departmental Graduate Research Award in 2014. When I finish my dissertation focusing on the antebellum South, I hope to teach American history on the college/university level.

Experience

Before heading back to school to get my doctorate, I taught junior high and high school history, geography, and American government at a private school in Northern Virginia for eight years. At Texas Christian University, I have been a graduate assistant—grading college-level assignments for three years. Needless to say, I am familiar with what instructors are looking for on tests and assignments. I have also tutored students both while teaching high school and serving as a graduate assistant

Approach

History is a subject with so many dates, people, and events—which I love—but which makes it all hard to keep track of. I stress how historical events and people were interconnected and that people acted certain ways for often-perceptible reasons, just as you and I do. Because writing is so vital to many upper level history courses, I focus on the basics of historical writing—organization, thesis, topic sentences, introduction and conclusion, grammar—as well as content and originality.