Academic Information

Degrees

BA: English, East Carolina University
MA: English, East Carolina University

Research Interests

1. Health-related discourses, especially those impacting women and their children.

2. Importance of cultural factors when creating breastfeeding advocacy discourses.

3. Social presence and community in TPC distance education courses and programs.

Advisor/Committee

Sherry Southard, Wendy Sharer, Michelle Eble

Classes Taught

1. Eng 5780: Advanced Writing for Business and Industry

2. Eng 1200: Composition

Conference Presentations & Publications

Career Goal Statement 

Obtain college-level teaching position that enables me to develop and teach DE courses in Technical and Professional Writing and other content areas as well as to pursue my research and publishing interests related to health-related discourses and distance education.

Personal Information

Personal Hobbies/Interests

1. Cooking-one of my favorite things to do in my off time is to visit local farmers markets to buy locally grown, organic vegetables, meat, and eggs from nearby farms.

2. Reading about politics and political discourses.

3. Watching documentaries/advocacy films relating to politics, the environment, food, holistic medicines, and many other topics. 

4. Spending time with my husband, David, and our cat, Chloe.

Reasons Why I Chose PhD Program at ECU

I chose the PhD program at ECU because of the knowledge I'd acquire in three areas of study--technical and professional communication, writing studies and pedagogy, and discourses and cultures. Completing significant course work in all three areas, I will obtain a well-rounded education and be able to pursue a variety of career paths, but maybe more important, that broad-based education will strengthen my teaching and research in technical and professional communication.

My experience in earning an MA in English, Technical and Professional Communication, at ECU was a very positive one; the Department deeply values students and is on the cutting edge in my field. based on the broad array of courses offered as part of the PhD program as well as my prior positive experiences, I found the decision to apply for the PhD program at ECU was an easy one. I am so glad that I did!