My interest in Italy and all things Italian began early in life.  My official studies of Italian began in 2000 as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley.  After graduating with a double major in Italian and Classics, I moved to South Bend, IN where I completed a Masters in Italian at the University of Notre Dame.  While at Notre Dame I worked as a teaching fellow and also secured several substantial travel grants which allowed me to attend school in Cefalù, Sicily and Lecce, Puglia.  In 2006, I entered a PhD program in Italian at the University of North Carolina.  While in Chapel Hill I continued to teach and also coordinated departmental activities such as the Undergraduate Film Festival and the Tavola Italiana.

I am currently an ABD doctoral candidate working on my dissertation which deals with Giovanni Verga and his treatment of the picturesque in his Sicilian short story collections. In addition to Verga, my research interests include Sicilian literature, Italian film, and Second Language Acquisition. 

Over the last few years I have expanded my research interests and been privileged to present scholarly papers on topics ranging from film to literature and beyond.  My publications include a series of book reviews published in Annali d’Italianistica, several translations for Mr. David Manton and his forthcoming book on Enzo Ferrari, and, most recently, the rewriting of the test bank for Ciao! 7th Edition.  For more information on my publications or scholarly presentations, please consult my CV.

I have been teaching at the University of North Texas since August 2009.  In addition to coordinating the Italian language program, I also lead the Italian study abroad program, advise the Italian Club, and oversee the Gamma Kappa Alpha Italian Honor Society.  We use a communicative approach to language learning, incorporating reading, writing, speaking, and listening into each lesson.  We also provide extra curricular activities such as weekly conversation hours, bi-monthly film screenings, and trips to the UNT and Dallas Opera.

last updated Spring 2010