Hello
I am an educator, researcher, and expressive arts therapist-in-training, dedicated to exploring how education can heal individuals and restore humanity and a rich connection to nature in communities. My interdisciplinary research spans global contexts, ranging from immigrant youth in New York City to post-disaster recovery in Fukushima, Japan. My work focuses on identity, trauma, and the power of art and language. With a background in K–12 education, teacher training, and international teaching, I collaborate with educators, artists, and communities to bring arts-based and project-based learning into classrooms. Currently training in Expressive Arts Therapy, I’m passionate about integrating therapeutic and creative practices into education to foster dialogue, resilience, and collective healing.
My Story
Professional Work
I am an educator, researcher, and expressive arts therapist-in-training. I am currently an Associate Professor in the Ph.D. program in Educational Studies at Lesley University. Believing that education is a way to improve and heal society and individuals, I use an interdisciplinary approach to understand pressing and emerging issues in society and education internationally. I have conducted research about immigrant girls’ nostalgia and their future aspirations in NYC, children’s cosmopolitan identity through their reading and writing in Pennsylvania, as well as the impact of trauma in post-nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. My work has also been tied to community, K-12 education, and teacher training. I have taught English as a Foreign Language at an alternative international high school in Tokyo Japan. I have also taught in a pre-service program at Gettysburg College Pennsylvania for twelve years, where I also served as a certification officer.
Througout my career I have had opportunities to collaborate with local teachers, community organizations, and artists to implement arts-based and project-based learning as a teacher and teacher educator. My interest in art, healing, and community-building led me recently to begin studying Expressive Arts Therapy (ExAT) in the master's program at Lesley University. I am excited about bringing the theoretical and therapeutic tools of ExAT into classrooms, especially to engage students and teachers in difficult conversations related to collective trauma to restore community and humanity.
My Personal Journey
