Among the schools at which I have taught are Loyola Marymount University, Emory University, Dominican University, Lake Superior State University, and the University of St. Francis. Institutions at which I have held trainings include Cal State Los Angeles, Loyola University of Chicago, and Illinois Institute of Technology. I have presented work at conferences at Princeton University, Yale University, Tufts University, University of St. Andrews, Oxford University, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, St. Mary's University, Emory University, University of Tokyo, and University of Iowa. Other conferences include the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, the North American Patristics Society, Oxford Patristics, the International Conference on the Ancient Novel, and the St.-Serge Semaine Liturgique. I have spent summers doing research at Corinth, the Vatican, Weimar, and Munich. Upcoming projects are with Leuven, Oxford UP, Baylor UP, and Heidelberg. 

 

My boots have been solidly on the ground. With a dual California teaching authorizations in English and social studies, I have taught high school in public and parochial schools for three years. During the pandemic, I staffed in-person instruction for 35 hours per week in the Crenshaw/Baldwin Village area. For two years, I served full-time with AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross, working mostly on Chicago's South Side. In addition, I taught citizenship and ESL classes as a Project SHINE volunteer at Boat People, S.O.S., for several years in Atlanta. Other organizations with which I volunteered for one or more years include Habitat for Humanity, Best Buddies, and Chicago Humanities Festival. One summer, I went with the Presbyterians and Floresta to the Oaxacan rainforest on an environmental mission trip and ended up being the first visiting member to preach in their village church. In high school, I docented at a nature center and did environmental repair projects.

 

In addition to my work in the nonprofit and education sectors, I have published in national media. Topics have ranged from California suffrage tea to ancient Roman staged sea battles. My work has appeared in The Atlantic, Washington Post, Paste, Religion & Politics, America, Busted Halo, Bust, and TED-Ed. 

 

Last but certainly not least, at one point in my life, I was ranked among the top ten geography students in the state of California and was the only girl in that group. I also won state-level prizes for History Day papers on Methodist women missionaries in Oregon and the California Aqueduct, and I gave the keynote speech for my local resource conservation district. I hold current NASA/JPL Lunar Rock certification.