University of Oklahoma

Instructor, Department of English

• Supervised, edited, and assessed undergraduate writing in courses on composition and rhetoric for upwards of 60 students per semester as the autonomous instructor of record
• Collaborated with colleagues and advisors on working groups to achieve outcomes that benefited the department as a whole
• Responsible for the mentorship of undergraduate students throughout the academic year

Texas A&M University

Research Assistant, Department of English

• Awarded a competitive research assistantship to collaborate with Dr. Ira Dworkin on the editing and revision of his manuscript, entitled Congo Love Song: African Americans and the Congo, 1884-1965
• Compiled and formatted bibliographic information, edited multiple chapters, and collated material from Congolese Tshiluba manuscript materials

Texas A&M University

Instructor, Department of English & Africana Studies

• 2 peer-reviewed journal publications and a completed dissertation
• Demonstrated English and French proficiency in publications and conferencing
• Collaborated with faculty and administration to create conference panels, faculty search committees, workshops, and interdepartmental working groups
• Built online & classroom-based globally-focused course curriculum, met time-sensitive administrative grading deadlines, and managed class time in courses on technical writing, composition, rhetoric, and literature for over 60 students per semester
• Mentored students and communicated with administration via online platforms (i.e. Blackboard, Google Hangouts, eCampus, Skype)
• Served on a departmental hiring committee

Anike Foundation Inc

Senior Grant Manager

• Researched recipient organizations and grant/funder opportunities in both English and French
• Oversaw the organization’s remote Grant Team by training and mentoring incoming grant researchers and writers
• Managed a list of 100+ qualified fundraising “leads:” private and family foundations whose priorities are aligned with Anike Foundation's mission and goals; Narrowed this list to 3-5 well-matched funders for each recipient organization
• Provided weekly updates on grant management progress to Anike Foundation's founder/president
• Prioritized Anike Foundation's core mission to promote educational development in Africa by gathering educational resources from developed nations and distributing them to needy institutions in Ghana, Benin, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Uganda

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston

Director of International Education

• Created the Student World Affairs Council (SWAC) program in October 2018, which allows high schoolers to create on-campus international affairs clubs at schools across Greater Houston. As of Summer 2019, there are 30 confirmed SWAC Chapters with 3000+ student members
• Organized educator workshops on global affairs that provided Professional Development as well as Gifted & Talented credit
• Facilitated and led teacher study tours to Colombia (2017) and Montreal & Quebec City (2018)
• Responsible for raising $80,000 per year in corporate, grant, and institutional membership funding
• Performed all functions related to the development and management of departmental budgets, schedules, and program content production
• Cultivated and maintained effective relations within the Houston community through corporate outreach, targeted schools, community organizations, in-district workshop presentations, consulates, etc.
• Oversaw all Student World Affairs Council program events, orientations, and professional development workshops for Houston-area educators
• Developed monthly curriculum aimed at both preparing high school level leaders for a global workforce and educating them about international affairs

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston

Senior Manager of International Education

• Spearheaded all aspects of program development, implementation, recruitment and fundraising for Student World Leaders Program
• Supervised all content production and engagement support activities for the Council’s Education Department
• Managed effectiveness of departmental structures, best practices, and tools and implemented improvements
• Drafted 20+ grant proposals per year to foundations, corporations, international organizations, and individual donors for global education initiatives
• Managed departmental budget, produced use-of-funds reports, annual reports, profit & loss statements per project; reduced spending from $165,000 to $45,000 in a year and a half
• Organized, created, and oversaw logistical details for 70 events per year - three of which host over 400 students and teachers
• Mentored teams of undergraduate interns and managed one in-department staff member

Duchesne Academy Of The Sacred Heart

Director of Global and Social Awareness

As the Director of Global and Social Awareness at Duchesne Academy, I am responsible for launching a Global and Social Awareness Institute on campus. The Global and Social Awareness Institute fulfills Duchesne’s Sacred Heart commitment to educate students to a social awareness that impels to action. In our multicultural world, Duchesne prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible global citizens locally, nationally, and globally. Duchesne’s Global and Social Awareness Institute is built on three main pillars: 1) diverse curriculum offerings, 2) study abroad and exchange opportunities, and 3) service learning experiences. By educating to a greater understanding of local and global social issues as well as encouraging reflection and personal growth, my goal is to nurture a life-long commitment to bettering our world.

Fund for Teachers

Invited to participate as a Selection Committee Member for Houston Fund for Teachers grant applications.

FBI Houston Citizens Academy Alumni Association

Nominated by a Citizens Academy graduate/colleague to participate in this program.

The Citizens Academy is an engaging seven-to-nine-week program that gives business, religious, civic, and community leaders an inside look at the FBI. Classes meet in the evening at the FBI field office. The mission of the FBI Citizens Academy is to foster a greater understanding of the role of federal law enforcement in the community through frank discussion and education.

Seeking Balance: African Autobiography as Philosophy in Malidoma Patrice Somé’s Of Water and the Spirit

Research in African Literatures (RAL)

Published Abstract: In this essay, I examine how one particular African autobiographical work —Malidoma Patrice Some's Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life ofan African Shaman —embodies the concept of autobiography as philosophy and challenges Western metaphysical frameworks concerning the construction of the ethical self, temporality, and history. I argue that Some's autobiographical affirmation of African philosophy serves as a thoroughgoing critique of Western hegemonic thought. Moreover, I claim that this text goes beyond a remedial rebuffing of Eurocentric metaphysics and instead proposes a synthesis between both African and Western ways ofknowing and understanding the world. Ultimately, Some's Of Water and the Spirit demonstrates that the act of philosophizing is a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that helps shape the various "commonsensical" realities of modern life around the globe and should therefore be considered a non-exclusionary practice.

Seeking Balance: African Autobiography as Philosophy in Malidoma Patrice Somé’s Of Water and the Spirit

Research in African Literatures (RAL)

Published Abstract: In this essay, I examine how one particular African autobiographical work —Malidoma Patrice Some's Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life ofan African Shaman —embodies the concept of autobiography as philosophy and challenges Western metaphysical frameworks concerning the construction of the ethical self, temporality, and history. I argue that Some's autobiographical affirmation of African philosophy serves as a thoroughgoing critique of Western hegemonic thought. Moreover, I claim that this text goes beyond a remedial rebuffing of Eurocentric metaphysics and instead proposes a synthesis between both African and Western ways ofknowing and understanding the world. Ultimately, Some's Of Water and the Spirit demonstrates that the act of philosophizing is a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that helps shape the various "commonsensical" realities of modern life around the globe and should therefore be considered a non-exclusionary practice.

Gendered Ecologies and Black Feminist Futures in Ibi Zoboi’s “The Farming of Gods,” Wanuri Kahiu’s Pumzi, and Wangechi Mutu’s The End of eating Everything

WAGADU: A Journal of Transnational Women's and Gender Studies

Published Abstract: Contemporary scholarship within African and Diasporic women’s literature has frequently focused on works of cultural production that use various literary, artistic and filmic genres to (re)envision the past and present. However, little emphasis has been placed on how 21st century transnational works position women as agents of change and producers of knowledge by gesturing toward the future. This paper addresses how three female authors and artists who hail from various parts of Africa and the Diaspora — Wangechi Mutu, Wanuri Kahiu, and Ibi Zoboi — imagine a black feminist future through a careful use of ecological imagery. My argument is twofold: first, I take my cue from Mutu’s assertion that imaginative forms of world-building must connect systemic corruption to consumptive practices. Secondly, I claim that Afrofuturist works like Kahiu’s Pumzi, Zoboi’s “The Farming of the Gods,” and Mutu’s The End of Eating Everything use geographical spaces marked by ecological abuse (poisonous spores, pustules, desert landscapes), displacement (discarded objects) and violence (human limbs) to negotiate the symbolic and material “marking” of black female bodies. Ultimately, I demonstrate how these works speculate about new forms of transnational communities that not only survive but thrive in the 21st century and beyond.

Seeking Balance: African Autobiography as Philosophy in Malidoma Patrice Somé’s Of Water and the Spirit

Research in African Literatures (RAL)

Published Abstract: In this essay, I examine how one particular African autobiographical work —Malidoma Patrice Some's Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life ofan African Shaman —embodies the concept of autobiography as philosophy and challenges Western metaphysical frameworks concerning the construction of the ethical self, temporality, and history. I argue that Some's autobiographical affirmation of African philosophy serves as a thoroughgoing critique of Western hegemonic thought. Moreover, I claim that this text goes beyond a remedial rebuffing of Eurocentric metaphysics and instead proposes a synthesis between both African and Western ways ofknowing and understanding the world. Ultimately, Some's Of Water and the Spirit demonstrates that the act of philosophizing is a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that helps shape the various "commonsensical" realities of modern life around the globe and should therefore be considered a non-exclusionary practice.

Gendered Ecologies and Black Feminist Futures in Ibi Zoboi’s “The Farming of Gods,” Wanuri Kahiu’s Pumzi, and Wangechi Mutu’s The End of eating Everything

WAGADU: A Journal of Transnational Women's and Gender Studies

Published Abstract: Contemporary scholarship within African and Diasporic women’s literature has frequently focused on works of cultural production that use various literary, artistic and filmic genres to (re)envision the past and present. However, little emphasis has been placed on how 21st century transnational works position women as agents of change and producers of knowledge by gesturing toward the future. This paper addresses how three female authors and artists who hail from various parts of Africa and the Diaspora — Wangechi Mutu, Wanuri Kahiu, and Ibi Zoboi — imagine a black feminist future through a careful use of ecological imagery. My argument is twofold: first, I take my cue from Mutu’s assertion that imaginative forms of world-building must connect systemic corruption to consumptive practices. Secondly, I claim that Afrofuturist works like Kahiu’s Pumzi, Zoboi’s “The Farming of the Gods,” and Mutu’s The End of Eating Everything use geographical spaces marked by ecological abuse (poisonous spores, pustules, desert landscapes), displacement (discarded objects) and violence (human limbs) to negotiate the symbolic and material “marking” of black female bodies. Ultimately, I demonstrate how these works speculate about new forms of transnational communities that not only survive but thrive in the 21st century and beyond.

Seeking Balance: African Autobiography as Philosophy in Malidoma Patrice Somé’s Of Water and the Spirit

Research in African Literatures (RAL)

Published Abstract: In this essay, I examine how one particular African autobiographical work —Malidoma Patrice Some's Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life ofan African Shaman —embodies the concept of autobiography as philosophy and challenges Western metaphysical frameworks concerning the construction of the ethical self, temporality, and history. I argue that Some's autobiographical affirmation of African philosophy serves as a thoroughgoing critique of Western hegemonic thought. Moreover, I claim that this text goes beyond a remedial rebuffing of Eurocentric metaphysics and instead proposes a synthesis between both African and Western ways ofknowing and understanding the world. Ultimately, Some's Of Water and the Spirit demonstrates that the act of philosophizing is a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that helps shape the various "commonsensical" realities of modern life around the globe and should therefore be considered a non-exclusionary practice.

Gendered Ecologies and Black Feminist Futures in Ibi Zoboi’s “The Farming of Gods,” Wanuri Kahiu’s Pumzi, and Wangechi Mutu’s The End of eating Everything

WAGADU: A Journal of Transnational Women's and Gender Studies

Published Abstract: Contemporary scholarship within African and Diasporic women’s literature has frequently focused on works of cultural production that use various literary, artistic and filmic genres to (re)envision the past and present. However, little emphasis has been placed on how 21st century transnational works position women as agents of change and producers of knowledge by gesturing toward the future. This paper addresses how three female authors and artists who hail from various parts of Africa and the Diaspora — Wangechi Mutu, Wanuri Kahiu, and Ibi Zoboi — imagine a black feminist future through a careful use of ecological imagery. My argument is twofold: first, I take my cue from Mutu’s assertion that imaginative forms of world-building must connect systemic corruption to consumptive practices. Secondly, I claim that Afrofuturist works like Kahiu’s Pumzi, Zoboi’s “The Farming of the Gods,” and Mutu’s The End of Eating Everything use geographical spaces marked by ecological abuse (poisonous spores, pustules, desert landscapes), displacement (discarded objects) and violence (human limbs) to negotiate the symbolic and material “marking” of black female bodies. Ultimately, I demonstrate how these works speculate about new forms of transnational communities that not only survive but thrive in the 21st century and beyond.

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

French and Francophone Student Association (FFSA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,352677244)

African Literature Association (ALA)

Member

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)

Women In French (WIF)

Panelist & Member

Grant Professionals Association (GPA)

Member

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Member

urn:li:fs_education:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,192778520)

Texas A&M English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

English Department Representative in TAMU Graduate Student Council

urn:li:fs_position:(ACoAABHicXABVsdjLtELrX5yuMVPwV3vPNtRmH0,818887359)