Teaching

I strive to be a transformational educator who helps students reach the potential that they may not know they have. I discovered my love of teaching while tutoring Introduction to International Relations and Introduction to Comparative Politics for three years as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. This experience provided me with a key pedagogical foundation that I continued to hone while teaching Global Studies and English Debate for three years at a high school in Toyama, Japan. At Princeton, I have not only won awards for my teaching in Princeton Politics, but have also taught extensively in the Freshman Scholars’ Institute for first-generation, low-income, and non-traditional background students. As a result, I bring over 11 years of teaching at the university and high school levels; I am eager to meet students where they are, while emphasizing active, experiential learning. I believe that teaching is one of the most important and fulfilling ways I can pay forward the educational opportunities I have had.

Inclusive Teaching

Teaching first-generation students at Princeton University, UC Berkeley and English learners in Japan taught me to meet students where they are. I discuss the hidden curriculum, de-mystify office hours, and proactively reach out to students with resources and opportunities.

Experiential Learning

I have organized battlefield staff rides across Korea, Italy, Normandy, and Gettysburg, as well as grand strategy / crisis simulations with Princeton’s Center for International Security Studies. These experiences, along with my three years teaching debate and Global Studies in Japan have given me ample experience encouraging active, experiential learning. I scaffold lessons to ensure that simultaneous discussion and engagement is the norm, while also building diverse forms of participation through online shared documents and forums.

Award-Winning Mentorship

I support students beyond the classes they have taken with me, and have worked to improve graduate teaching at Princeton by founding and hosting “Precept Pedagogy” seminars and helping to organize department trainings for students in distress.

Awards and Recognitions

George Kateb Teaching Award

In 2024, I was honored with Princeton Politics George Kateb Teaching Award, awarded to the best graduate teaching assistants in the department. This was based on my teaching of International Relations, American Foreign Policy, and Ways of Knowing.

Beyond serving as a TA, I have founded and led a recurring grad student pedagogy seminar and built the first department-wide shared drive for teaching resources.

Best of Diversity Access and Inclusion

I co-led a student group at Princeton University called “Students of Color and Allies” with fellow graduate students Sonya Chen, Sonny Kim, and Derek Wakefield. For creating this group and for related advocacy within the Politics Department on issues of access, diversity, and inclusion, we received this award at the first annual “Best of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion” symposium held by Princeton’s Office of Access, Diversity and Inclusion in 2021.

Exemplar Mentor

Recognized by graduate students for going “above and beyond” in fostering their academic, professional, and personal growth. This nomination highlights a commitment to empathetic, enthusiastic, and accessible mentorship—both through formal programs and informal support networks—demonstrating dedication to building inclusive, supportive scholarly communities.

Also Nominated

• Princeton University-wide Teaching Award (twice)
• K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award (AAC&U)

Courses Taught

Additional Teacher Training

• Teaching Transcript, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, Princeton University (2025)
• Staff Ride Coordinator, Princeton’s Center for International Security Studies (2022–2026)