History  |  History Department Chair |  Head of Jeanne d'Arc House 

ABOUT ME

I was born and raised right here in Denver, CO, and attended public school in Jefferson County.  I earned my Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), specializing in medieval European history.  While there, I also began to be interested in researching the interactions between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages.  With that interest in mind, I moved to Philadelphia, PA, to earn a Master's degree from Villanova University, where I specialized in European and Islamic History.  I taught for a year and a half at Holy Family University, where I taught classes on the entire history of the world.  I moved back home in April 2019, where I was very fortunate to learn about Ascent, and began teaching here later that year. 

In addition to my deep love of human history, I have been a musician for my entire life--I play the piano, clarinet, saxophone, and drums, as well as sing.  I am also a dog lover, and have a special affection for basset hounds--my family has had three over the course of my life.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

I am passionate about helping students understand the greater human story and see their place within it.  I see history as the most interesting story ever, and love telling it and having students engage with the people and ideas of the past.  The more we study other time periods and other cultures, the more we can develop an appreciation for those other periods and cultures, and ultimately a greater understanding of human nature.