I am a first year graduate student in the English Masters Program. I am new to Villanova, as I received my BA in English from the University of Connecticut in 2007. I've lived in Connecticut my entire life, so like some of the incoming freshmen, I'll also be making the adjustment to living far from home! Once I compete my graduate studies, I hope to either pursue my doctorate in English to become a college professor or to work for a non-profit organization whose focus is on diversity, multiculturalism and/or advocacy.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Center for Multicultural Affairs because I will get to work closely with students as they enter a new and exciting chapter of their lives, leaving behind high school and entering the college world. This can be a challenging time for new students, so my goal is to help students make this adjustment as seamless as possible. As a Graduate Assistant, I will be responsible for the Freshmen Retention Program, providing guidance and counsel (personal, social and academic) to freshman students.  Additionally, I will be involved with programming. As an officer in a cultural club during my undergraduate career, I was responsible for creating programs that would appeal to a wide variety of students that were both interesting and fun. I hope to utilize this experience as I create programs for the Center that encourage learning and personal growth while still being fun and engaging.

Outside of the academic realm, I am a woman of many hobbies and interests.  Baking takes up the majority of my free time. I have been taking cake decorating classes for the past year and, like my favorite show Ace of Cakes, I love the challenge of turning something non-edible (like a flowers or a football) into something delicious using frosting and cake. (As you might imagine, I also have a pretty big sweet tooth!) My other interests include traveling (my favorite place so far being Florence, Italy), salt water fishing, cheesy movies, days when I can finish the NY Times Crossword puzzle without help, used book stores, grocery shopping, the first flowers of spring, coffee, the way peanut butter looks when you first open a new jar, grammar, exploring new musical genres, gardening and reading a good book on the beach. Speaking of books… just as you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't really get to know someone just from reading their bio, so I hope to meet with you and chat so we can get to know each other better. I look forward to this upcoming year!

I am a second year graduate student in the Counseling and Human Relations department of Villanova University, with a concentration in community counseling. I obtained my BA in psychology at Temple University in 2008. During my years in undergrad, I was very involved in many academic and social extra-curricular activities and on campus organizations. From my experience I’ve learned that excelling both academically and socially provides an individual with the tools they need to succeed in the real world after college. As a part time GA in the center, my role is to coordinate the second phase of the Retention Program for sophomores. As l have learned in the past, the more you advance in college the more demanding your course work may become, and the easier it is to forget the resources, programs, and opportunities out there that will keep you grounded and well balanced. In my position, I plan to help students in the center with the challenges and changes that may arise when transitioning into their sophomore year.

When I’m not dedicating my time to school work or activities I like to watch TV, cook, listen to music and watch movies. I LOVE watching movies. I also love dancing, spending quality time with family and friends, and going to a park to run or sit and read. I’m an open-minded person who loves cultural diversity and plans to travel the world one day. I hope to contribute more knowledge and ideas through the use of my own cultural background and past experiences, and hope to learn more from you, the students, that I will meet this upcoming year.

I am starting an MA in Communications at Villanova this year. I graduated with a BA in English and a minor in Communications from Messiah College. I’ve been working in a public advocacy firm in Harrisburg for the past two years and I’m looking forward to starting school again! I want to focus on cross-cultural and intra-cultural communications.

I consider myself a global nomad as my family moved to Thailand when I was eleven and that is still ‘home’ for me. This experience sparked my interest in the complexities of defining identity. In college I got involved the multicultural programming for international students and learned a lot about the support needed by students from diverse backgrounds. I’m looking forward to being part of Villanova’s Multi-Cultural Programs Office and helping with research and retention programming.

My interests include reading, writing, meeting new people, traveling (as much as I can!), films and food from around the globe. I also feel awkward talking about myself online, so please stop in and meet me in person!