CURRENT MISSION

"...so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

ABOUT ME

I am very laid back and easy going. Perhaps the thing I enjoy most in life is meeting new people and sharing good conversation over a local brew.

Originally I am from Texas. I lived in Phoenix for two years as a Teach for America corps member. After this I took a Fulbright ETA grant and spent a year teaching university level English in Malatya, Turkey. I now find myself back in Texas surrounded by friends and family. I am working as an algebra teacher at a high school with Austin ISD.

I began traveling in high school and have not been able stop since. To date I have visited the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, England, Ireland, Zambia, Rwanda, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Turkey, Cypus, Georgia, and throughout the United States.

PHILOSOPHY

As I move forward in life this changes based on my experiences and the people I meet...

Currently I would say that I believe our lives have incredible meaning and purpose. There are a variety of ways to tap into this purpose depending upon the individual and their experiences. Personally, my life is most fulfilled when I invest my time in relationships. I believe the most we have to learn is from each other.

Interests

Good conversation with interesting people; reading - primarily philosophy/theology, politics, and education; thought provoking movies/documentaries; leisurely hikes; experiencing new places/cultures; concerts.

I also play the guitar and sing and have composed around 40 original songs. I enjoy sharing these with people, especially other musicians.

• singing
• documentaries
• concerts
• education
• running
• politics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• investing
• guitar
• hiking
• divinity
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

A non-comprehensive list of favorites...

Movies - Good Will Hunting, The Usual Suspects, Citizen Kane, Into the Wild, Catch me if you Can, Midnight in Paris, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Argo, Dead Poets Society, Dr. Strangelove...

Music - Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, Hayes Carll, Ben Harper, Josh Ritter, David Ramirez, Slaid Cleaves, Mumford & Sons, Emily Elbert, Counting Crows, Bob Dylan, Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, John Mayer, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights, Rocky Votolato, Coldplay, Norah Jones, Balmorhea, The Format, The Beatles, James Taylor, Rage Against the Machine

Books - On the Shortness of Life (Seneca), East of Eden (Steinbeck), Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky), Life of Pi (Martel), Into the Wild (Krakauer), The Life and Death of the Great American School System (Ravitch)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

For a summer I lived in the Dominican Republic as an intern with Save the Children/FUDECO. The community in which I lived was very rural with no electricity or running water. The lifestyle took some adjustment but all in all it was an incredibly transformative experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I have a unique perspective on education and the current state of our American education system. I have other amateur talents such as playing guitar, singing, and songwriting.

Learn: I like learning about all sorts of things. Truthfully, I most appreciate getting to know people and the context of their lives.

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