Amherst Reads About the Author

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Current Home
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Place of Birth
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Education
Master's Degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University

Why did you choose to come to Amherst?
I came to Amherst because I was naive enough to think I loved winter, and, slightly more importantly, people from the admissions office reached out to me personally, and when they did it actually felt like they cared about my thoughts and finding the best place for me to thrive.  This paled in comparison to the colder acceptances I'd gotten from other places—including Duke and Harvard, my number 1 and 2 choices respectively—and I knew that this place of thought and nurturing was exactly where I needed to be.

Most  memorable or most influential class at Amherst
Professor Barale's and Professor Parker's classes were always thought-provoking and honed my skills for close reading while giving me a true appreciation for the apparent and hidden power of the written word, but it was honestly a class that I never took that might have been more influential. I somehow managed to put off taking Professor Doran's "Images of Jesus" class until my senior year, at which time it was not being offered. I still regret that, but it taught me a lesson about seizing opportunity that I haven't forgotten.

Most memorable or most influential professor
Professor Barale, Professor Griffiths, and Mallorie Chernin spring to mind. The Choral Society was easily as world-opening and influential for me as any class ever could have been, perhaps more.

Research Interests?
My life has taken me away from research, strictly speaking, but I have a profound interest in the results of the proliferation Eurocentric media on the developing psyche, particularly how it influences young children who would identify or be identified as white and young children who would identify as or be identified as children of color in how they perceive the relative humanity of people of varying races.

Awards and Prizes
I've won several fellowships and awards for teaching. I'm uninterested in having them listed. If you would like a list for your records I'm happy to oblige.

Favorite Book
This is an unfair question that one should never ask an author. I have many favorite books. The better question would be favorite book to ____. For example, favorite book to recommend to new parents: Knuffle Bunny. Favorite book to read aloud with my children: The Hobbit. Favorite book to read aloud to a class of fifth graders: The Great Gilly