At the heart of my teaching philosophy is my passion for helping students flourish both inside and outside the classroom and encouraging them to take an active role in their academic and personal growth. I endeavor to nurture creativity and stimulate critical thinking and self-reflection in my students. I strive to engage students by employing active learning techniques, team-based learning, and real-world applications of course topics. I also mentor my students in their career exploration. In addition to teaching and mentoring, I am engaged in outreach efforts for sharing pedagogical innovations.
Examples of improving pedagogy and advancing the learning process:
• Exercises that apply economic concepts to real-world data
• Case studies analyzing the financial performance of a student’s chosen company
• Collaboration with the Stamford business community
• Integration of available software in economics classes for skills development
• Class trips to New York City to study financial institutions and gain valuable career insights
For my innovative approaches to teaching, I received the Grillo Family Excellence in Teaching Award in 2021 from the Department of Economics.
Examples of mentorship and career exploration:
• Academic Advisement: I advise, on average, 45 students per semester. I was humbled to be nominated by students for the Outstanding Undergraduate Adviser Award in 2021.
• Career Champion Program: I host classroom visits with career professionals, collaborate on events with the Center for Career Development, and help students navigate the career exploration process. I was nominated for the Faculty Career Advocate of the Year in 2021.
• Women and Minorities in Economics: In 2019, I began collaborating with the Federal Reserve System to send female students and students of color to various educational events. I promote these events in collaboration with the Honors Program and the Center for Career Development.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration with Faculty: In 2020-2021, I organized two Alumnae Career Panels alongside Dr. Beth Ginsburg from the History Department, with support from the Center for Career Development and the UConn Foundation.
• Class Visits by Alumni and Business Professionals: I have organized several visits from alumni and business professionals to engage students in career exploration and readiness.
For my service to students at the Stamford campus and to UConn Stamford community at large, I received the Stamford Faculty Recognition Award in 2021 and 2023, and was selected as the inaugural Career Faculty Fellow by the Center for Career Development (Spring 2023).
Examples of outreach:
• I am a coordinator of the Early College Experience (ECE) Economics program at UConn. I oversee course integrity at UConn ECE partner high schools and direct the professional development of UConn ECE Instructors. In the ECE-Economics program, the largest at UConn, we support 58 instructors who teach 67 courses per academic year.
• I collaborate with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) on online course development (developed 3 courses) and on mentoring UConn faculty outside of the Economics Department.
• I share my research on pedagogical innovations with the economics profession at large by participating in conferences, panels, forums, and publishing in professional journals and websites.
For my outreach activities, I received CLAS Strategic Goals Award -- Broader Impacts, Service, and Visibility in 2022 and Thomas E. Recchio Faculty ECE Coordinator Award for Academic Leadership in 2024.