Biography

Minna brings 23 years of classroom experience to her role as an Instructional Designer. As an award-winning AP Language and Composition teacher, Minna has an intuitive sense of how to shape content that engages and challenges learners while helping them meet their educational goals. While the English teacher in her still loves a well-used em dash, Minna refuses to be the marm who corrects your grammar in social situations, but will happily do so on drafts of your work if requested.

Minna graduated Cum Laude from UC Berkeley’s Political Science department and with a 4.0 GPA from UC Irvine’s Masters in English program. She was awarded Beverly Hills Unified’s Apple Award in 2013, University of Chicago’s Excellence in Teaching Award in both 2016 and 2017, as well as the Stanford Sterling Award for Teaching in 2022. Each of these awards recognized her passion for creating environments that motivate learning communities to connect deeply with the material and with each other.

Minna is excited to be part of the academic design process and proud to be part of a team that ensures that the learners’ time at UMass Global is a valuable investment.