About your Instructor

The most important thing I want you to know about your instructor is that I absolutely love teaching! I am committed to helping you improve your writing and thinking skills, and I am equally dedicated to making this process enlightening and fun.I have been working with college students in San Diego county since 1995, and I have been a full-time English professor at Southwestern College for over 20 years. I have recently taken on the role of Distance Education Faculty Coordinator for our college, and I also review online courses and train faculty throughout California through @ONE and the Online Education Initiative.

While I love working with students in a face-to-face classroom, I am also excited about teaching online, and I usually teach several online classes each semester. I enjoy experimenting with new ways to enrich the experience of online learners, so my classes are always changing and growing. I currently teach English 116, 230, and 231 online, on a rotating basis.

In addition to teaching, I have previously served as a faculty coordinator of the SWC Writing Center. It was my job to hire, train, and mentor many of the tutors who will help you improve your writing skills. As a student in my class, whether on ground or online, you will get to know (and love!) the Writing Center tutors soon.

Reading and writing have always been passions of mine, but I didn't start out as a teacher. After earning my B.A. in English, I worked as a travel writer for a small travel newsletter. I journeyed around the world and honed my writing skills for several years before becoming the newsletter’s managing editor, but after a while I began to miss the world of academic study that I had left behind. I decided to return to school for a master’s degree, and I have never regretted it. From my first days in an internship program for college teaching, I knew I had found a career that would be dynamic, challenging, and rewarding. I still love my job, all these years later!

Finally, I would like you to know that I am a student, too. I try to take classes every summer, and in 2013 I completed the @ONE Online Teaching Certification Program. As part of this program, I took courses on everything from online assessment to using social media for education, and you will benefit from what I have learned.

Here's to a productive and enlightening semester for us all!