Buxton Welcomes New Faculty & Staff
I taught English at Buxton from 2005-2011 and then sorely missed teaching English at Buxton from 2011-2020. I’ve come back to teach more English at Buxton with a sense of excitement, relief, and good fortune. It is largely as I remembered it to be: busy, dynamic, challenging, and full of remarkable, spirited people. Most of my years away were spent in Nashville, TN, where I completed a Masters in Education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody School and an MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Making art and building community were the focus of my life in Music City. Along the way I created and edited a literary-humor newspaper named Huis Clos, organized visual art and music shows, and published writing and comics in The Nashville Review, The Rumpus, and Public Books. One of my comics was nominated for an Ignatz award in 2018, another was named a Notable Comic in Best American Comics 2019. I’m currently drafting a graphic novel involving a religion whose meditative practice involves rollerskating-induced trance states, and I can’t imagine a better milieu for working on such a project. Besides teaching English, I’m planning to lead activities on comics-making, screen-printing, and bicycle repair.
I am a parent of two Buxton alumna, Lola ’16 and Ivy ’19. While we chose this school for them, I fell in love with it too—the people, the campus, and the teaching philosophy. I have worked in education many years and I found Buxton to be the perfect incubator of nurturing guidance and skill building that my girls needed to expand on their interests and love of learning.
Born in the Philippines, I was raised in Iowa and spent much of my adult life in the greater Cambridge area. I worked at Harvard University as a business analyst and product manager, and after a career change, at the Fayerweather Street School as Director of Development. Last year I had a wonderful stint at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where both my girls were students, and had a blissful year of living with them as young adults.
While in Chicago, I restarted my interest in ceramics and sculpture, adding to my drawing and fiber arts practice. I am now living in Southern Berkshire county with my dogs, surrounded by beauty. I am thrilled to be the new Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Buxton.
I’m a musician with a focus on vocal composition and arranging, and I dabble in piano, guitar, and percussion. I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and I attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX before moving to Amherst, MA to study Chemistry and Music at Amherst College. Outside of classes, I sang with the Amherst College Zumbyes, an a cappella group with roots in jazz which has perhaps been the most influential musical experience of my life thus far. In addition to my interests in music, I’m a soccer enthusiast and I believe that art and sport can offer many important lessons for the Buxton community.
As this year’s Progressive Education fellow, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be in community with the lovely folks at Buxton, and learn from the educators that serve each student in a unique way. Born and raised on the coast of Maine, I am a recent graduate of Tufts University, where I studied anthropology & environmental studies with a concentration in environmental humanities. My work experience thus far is primarily in the non-profit sector, with a common thread of interest in contributing to social wellbeing. Post-graduation, this work was at MASS, an architecture firm serving society’s design needs, and Facing History & Ourselves, an education-adjacent organization dedicated to anti-prejudice work. During undergrad, I worked with a number of non-profit groups, including Creative Portland & the Environmental Voter Project. At Buxton, I’m interested in further developing my passions within the social sciences and humanities, and am particularly excited to explore the interdisciplinary nature of living, working, and learning together as a “Buxton Bubble.” In addition to fellowship responsibilities, I am a member of the dorm staff, and a faculty advisor for the activism club.
