I am a high school librarian--with a focus on technology and research skills. I am deeply involved in my school (also doing the school's website and co-teaching a class that produces a daily news show). I find my work there very fulfilling. I also have extensive experience with the International Baccalaureate program (I was highly involved in the IB program in three high schools, and taught an afterschool class called "Theory of Knowledge" for two years.
I have also been heavily involved in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, a liberal religious community, since 1994. I was a UU senior high youth advisor for 5 years, through which I involved kids in many cultural and service activities. These include 4 visits to a Transylvanian (Romanian) village (two of which I organized and led), construction work on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (2 trips), refurbishing a few D.C. schools, 2 home renovation projects, etc. I was also the first chair of our congregations's Social Justice Council and served a recent two-year term as the chair of our Partner Church Circle.
I have attained a healthy balance between hard work and ability to relax and enjoy living. My current lifestyle can be described as sufficiently comfortable, with enough room for the occasional splurge or adventure.
A Northern Virginia/DC area resident (currently in Vienna, VA) since 1991, I am originally from Sunbury, a small city in central Pennsylvania which I love very much and visit several times a year. I worked and borrowed my way to degrees from the University of Arizona (BFA in Media Arts, mostly broadcast journalism), UMass/Boston (Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking), and the University of Maryland (Master of Library Science). I am also an Eagle Scout (1981; keeping myself "physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight") and Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow (1983; "will seek to preserve a cheerful spirit even in the midst of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities, and... be unselfish in service and devotion to the welfare of others.")
My education and life experience have only bolstered my commitment to living my traditional and progressive values, and making our world better through promoting interpersonal connectedness and civic engagement via good thinking and dialogue. Currently developing a project along these lines, and always seeking kindred spirits.
Below: Mile 17 of my first marathon, finish time: 3:28
