Photo by: Steve Cohn www.stevecohnphotography.com (310) 277-2054 © 2023
Major: English (Creative Writing)
Minors: Education and Society; Psychology
2023 Jimmy Award Recipient
My objective is to become an English Language Arts educator. Upon graduation from USC, I’ve been accepted at Stanford University to work towards completing a one-year dual credential and Masters of Education program.
My desire to teach English stems from the ways my world opened under the guidance of language. I believe that engagement with literature often removes distance from the world around us, expanding access to lived experiences and perspectives—real or imagined—that might sharpen our understanding of reality. I hope to help students develop this awareness and recognize their own capacity to participate as critical and engaged members of a democratic society.
The two faith-based communities I belonged to on campus, Overflow A Capella and Christian Challenge, brought into my life hope and peace that continue to shape who I am during my time as a student. As well, the opportunity to serve as an instructor and co-director with the Shaukat Initiative, which offers free Saturday courses to local high school students, and as a research assistant with the Mind and Society Center have both led me to want to pursue a career in education.
The joy and fulfillment I discovered while working with youth in the local community during my time at USC led to the desire to teach in K-12 spaces and share my passion for reading and creative writing with the next generation of students. I also hold a long-term aspiration of one day working in the field of teacher preparation, investing in sustainable pathways to community-centered English Language Arts education.
My favorite high school teacher once told me that cultivating a love of learning is the best preparation for teaching. The English department at USC provided a space wonderfully well- tailored to developing a lifelong commitment to fostering joy in creativity and pursuing educational freedom for my students. I look forward to continuing on the humbling, transformative journey of learning alongside them—reading the world around us with intention, unearthing and addressing the biases we hold and imagining a future that stands for the value and beauty of diversity in all dimensions of identity.
