Teaching Contributions
Since the launch of the Arts First program in 2018, I have been teaching Arts First sections for SJU, with course titles like How the Sausage Is Made: An Exploration of How and What We Eat and What a Waste! Finding Meaning Through Reflection. Before joining St. Jerome’s, I taught in the English Department at UBC while I was doing my PhD there. I also have extensive experience teaching English to newcomers to Canada. And, what now feels like a lifetime ago, I taught English at an all-girls high school in Japan. Teaching, it seems, has always been in the cards for me — my path to exploration and discovery.
Research and Other Contributions to the Field
The focus of my research has centred on taking a biocultural approach to exploring the role of risk, risk-taking, and women’s sexual behaviour as expressed in British narratives of the long 18th century. More recently, my research has taken me to the golden years of British murder mysteries and the women who wrote them.
Interests
I never turn down a cup of coffee, a hot yoga session, or a good heist movie. I can’t do anything without music or a podcast playing in the background even though I have a penchant for silence. Like most, I enjoy hanging out with friends and family. These days, I am often found nodding along while listening to my eleven-year-old son speak endlessly about Roblox (which is a very special kind of torture), feigning comprehension as my partner goes on and on about baseball stats (which is a very different special kind of torture), or astounded that my two-year-old pup still has the energy to play fetch after having already played for hours. Unequivocally, I love most my time spent with them.
Path to St. Jerome’s
I moved to Waterloo from Vancouver with my partner and son in 2014, working on my dissertation from afar. Although we formed new friendships and were able to settle quickly, my academic experience felt incredibly isolating, and I found myself yearning for an academic home. When I completed my degree and started teaching at St. Jerome’s, I was met with immediate support and encouragement. I am grateful for the kind of community St Jerome’s offers, a warm camaraderie that spans across faculty, staff, and students.