I currently serve as the Project Coordinator for Sprintensive, a redesigned Spring semester that is launching at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) in Spring 2016. Sprintensive offers coordinated courses through faculty collaboration, resulting in a feedback-rich and experiential learning environment. In my role as Coordinator, I am responsible for designing, planning, and implementing different innovative components of this program.
In my role as Sprintensive Coordinator, I am also fulfilling the final practicum component of my graduate program at MIIS. I am a candidate for a Master of Arts in International Education Management (IEM) and Master of Public Administration (MPA). At MIIS, my studies focus on education development and innovative learning experiences, especially in the Middle East and across Africa. I wish to eventually pursue a doctorate in anthropology that will, combined with my knowledge of Arabic and expertise in education development, help me unveil opportunities for girls and indigenous youth through creative education programming.
- Off exploring! (Anderson, 2013).
This dream started at age six, when I was convinced I would become the next Indiana Jones, digging in the dirt and embellishing stories as only a child could. My childhood activities inspired a variety of academic pursuits. During my undergraduate years at Middlebury College, my passion for archeology shifted toward cultural anthropology. I had long envisioned myself traveling the world, and the Middle East in particular, collecting and connecting individuals’ stories and turning them into narratives to be shared with the world. These interests led me to pursue degrees in Arabic and Theatre.
My studies took me to Alexandria, Egypt in spring 2010. There, I pursued my studies of Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Dialect. It was in Egypt that I began my first days of anthropological fieldwork, focusing on history in the context of current social customs.
Armed with my sable fedora á la Indiana Jones, my tattered Hans Wehr Arabic dictionary, and emergency peanut butter, I embraced my new life in Egypt. My experiences brought me into contact with a variety of local women, and I collected their stories in an attempt to better understand the underlying structure of life in Egypt.
Following my return from the Middle East and my graduation from Middlebury, my career path took me from bilingual assistant (Middlebury College Summer Arabic School) to resident director (Middlebury College), and finally, to graduate school at MIIS.
Today, I am applying my theoretical studies to real-life practice. Please visit my practicum page to learn more about my current work as Sprintensive Coordinator.