I am the director of curriculum with the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, where I design and implement after-school academic programming for high school students. As the director of curriculum, I build and implement cross-grade writing initiatives that prepare students for crafting competitive and dynamic college and scholarship admissions essays. I also support the team with writing feedback professional development, equipping them with the tools needed to guide students through essay development. Previously, I was a university English instructor for over six years, most recently teaching upper-level composition and young adult literature courses at Louisiana State University. In addition to teaching a 4/4 course load, I was also chair of the department wellness committee and a senator with the faculty senate. While I'm no longer a full-time instructor, I remain available for adjunct work. I've also taught at Northern Arizona University, where I earned my MA in the Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing program and TESL Certificate. After graduation, I taught three sections of English 105 at NAU, a composition class designed to combine the writing skills taught in traditional English 101 & 102 into one semester-long accelerated course. I also mentored first-year graduate teaching assistants, offering support and guidance regarding teaching methods and balancing grad school & teaching. Prior to graduating, I was a graduate teaching assistant with NAU's English department, where I taught one section of English 105 per semester and tutored in the university writing center. Beyond the school year classroom, I've taught at Upward Bound Summer Academy and have over ten years of English and writing tutoring experience. While academics is my full-time passion, I'm also a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader with experience in both fiction and non-fiction work. Before moving to Flagstaff in November 2010, I worked as a publishing assistant/marketing specialist at Simon & Schuster. I have also interned in the editorial department of Simon & Schuster's Simon Spotlight Entertainment (now Gallery imprint), as well as Firebrand Literary.