Bios

“I love teaching and learning because it allows us to challenge ourselves, expand our horizons, acquire knowledge and skills across different cultures, share our ideas and unravel the mysteries of nature, modern and ancient societies and the human mind." 

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Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, Interregional Academy of Personal Management, Kyiv, Ukraine

Master of Arts, Social Work and Clinical Psychology, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Social Work Certificate, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK

Biography

I was raised in a polyethnic and multilingual region of Western Ukraine. As the Soviet totalitarian regime fell, the European Union funded the very first sociology and social work programs at my university. This allowed me to have visiting professors from Western Europe and spend time in Scotland as an international exchange student. While in college, I took different jobs as a pollster, illustrator and caricaturist, political advisor, student ambassador, research intern, etc. I also worked for an environmental safety company negotiating contracts with part suppliers from Germany, Austria, China and Japan. Thanks to to a university pen pal project, I met my future American wife. After teaching at my alma mater for a year, I moved to the U.S. and have lived in Arkansas, Arizona and Wisconsin. Before joining Northwood Tech, I taught social sciences at a community college serving a military base and a large Hispanic population. All of these experiences and interests help me relate to our students' diverse backgrounds and educational needs. 

The first part of my educational philosophy is how I teach. IT is an eclectic mix of humanistic psychology (unconditional positive regard for my students, empowerment, active learning, multiple intelligences, etc.) neuroscience (making learning hands-on and fun), and McDonaldization (efficiency, predictability, and automation). The second part of my educational philosophy is what I teach. It can be described as educational perennialism (scientific reasoning, critical thinking, sociological imagination, and higher order thinking skills), student centered philosophies such as progressivism (lifelong learning, social responsibility and democracy, experiential learning, individual approach, service learning, etc.), and of course multiculturalism. 

It is an amalgamation of nature and nurture that has steered me toward the teaching career. I come from a multi-generational family of educators and, ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed helping others learn. 

I enjoy spending time with family and friends; community service; everything artsy (extreme pumpkin carving, painting, culinary arts, historic restorations, etc.); everything sporty (skiing, swimming, working out, ball sports, etc.), everything outdoorsy (hiking, gardening, sightseeing, camping, etc.); and everything geeky (personal enrichment classes, DIY videos, traveling, world news, etc.).