the Pebble Spring 2017

Q: What are your job responsibilities?
A: Teaching about theater and performance in 2017 means a lot of different things. My career
has a lot of different components to it, which I like. I teach theater and performance history,
and I get to educate young college students about how our world is represented on stages and
in films. I do a lot of talking and thinking about how culture represents society, which is sometimes
positive and sometimes needs to be questioned. When I’m not teaching, I also coach
students on their writing and public speaking, helping them gain confidence around those
skills.
Q: What is the hardest part about your job?
A: The hardest (but best) part of my job is making sure all of my students get the individual
attention they need to be the best they can be.
Q: To what do you attribute your success?
A: I attribute my success to all the great teachers I’ve had in all the years I’ve been in school.
That includes teachers at MPH!
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: I’m most proud of moments when I see students who have been struggling with something
succeed because of work we’ve done in my classroom or in my rehearsals.
Q: What did you want to be when you were in high school?
A: When I was in high school, I really wanted to be a professional actor, and teachers like
Laura Jordan, Annmarie Gregory, Michele Koziara, Mike Copps, Ted Curtis, Delia Temes and
Diane Cook all helped me pursue those dreams. But they also made me really curious about
other things, too—literature, history, great books and good writing. They encouraged me to
learn a lot about many different things and reminded me that there wasn’t a “right” path to
take. Because of that, while I still perform, I do a lot of other fun things too.
Q: Have you seen yourself change a lot since then?
A: That’s hard to say, because it’s been a long time! I imagine I’ve changed a lot — living in
three different major cities, having a lot of different jobs, and completing three college degrees
does that to you—but I still am pretty curious and love learning and doing new things.
Q: How did MPH contribute to your success?
A: For this, I’ll refer you to my previous answer: I attribute my success to [MPH teachers who]
helped me pursue [my] dreams.
Q: What advice do you have for MPH students?
A: Don’t limit yourself to being JUST ONE thing or having JUST ONE career. Explore as
many different avenues as you can. My life has taken some unexpected paths, and I’m better
for it, so don’t be afraid of learning something new.
spring 2017 | 9