Biography

In December of 2023, I graduated with a PhD in English (Rhetoric & Composition) from Ohio University. My dissertation focused on the perceived needs and resources of students from distressed locations in writing classrooms borrowing from refugee literacy and trauma informed pedagogy. In 2006 I finished my MA in English with an emphasis in TESL from Indiana University and Purdue University Indianapolis and a BS in architectural studies from Andrews University in 2003.

My research interests include refugee literacy development, dispositions in transfer theory, discourse analysis of metaphors and politeness theory in media discourse, voice, identity, the circulation of blame, and the impact of the material environment on writing.

Previously, I worked as an instructor at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, wrote a weekly column for a Jordanian newspaper, and worked as a Research and Development officer in Beirut, Lebanon.

I speak a little Arabic (Shami) and enjoy traveling, cooking, writing, photography, and learning about other cultures.