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It’s hard for me to find a nice place to begin to describe myself. I suppose this is because I’m always up for new things. Whether it is just a simple idea or a grand adventure, I always like to entertain novel endeavors. Nonetheless, there are a few things that are constants in my life.
I’m definitely a coffee drinker, but it’s not just the coffee that I find captivating. What I really like are cafés and a café-like atmosphere – sitting around a table with friends and loved ones with just enough chatter in the background (and maybe some low playing music) so that we can comfortably talk about whatever comes to our minds. I wholeheartedly miss the cities I've lived in where these types of places are plentiful just a short walk from my home.
I’m a morning person through and through. For as long as I can remember, I've always felt an excitement in the morning, sometimes as early as 4am and I just can’t wait to take on the day. It’s at this time when I do my best work – at least my most mentally high-functioning work. It's also when I come up with my best ideas. Therefore, I’m happiest when I’m reading, writing, and working in the morning, but that doesn't mean I’m unfamiliar with burning the midnight oil.
Languages are stimulating for me, but I can’t seem to settle on just one. Rather, I’m a beginner or pre-intermediate level of many. I hope to change this soon and focus more deeply on proficiency of just one; will it be Serbian? Slovak? Russian? Korean? Maybe Chinese? Time will tell.
I definitely have a passion for education, clocking in thousands of hours teaching English, linguistics, and teacher training. I love being in a setting with others who have a desire to learn. Much of my free time includes reading about, discussing, and even writing about language, language learning, and all things education. I just can’t get enough, and there is plenty out there to keep me occupied so that I can continue to learn and grow as a scholar, teacher, education professional, and social scientist.
Applied linguistics has been a gateway to social sciences for me. Understanding people's perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors both qualitatively and quantitatively is extremely exciting and challenging, which drives my dedication to constantly hone my skills and better understand of the way the world works. I'm always interested in how education affects students, including all types of outcomes. Most of all, I love data: data governance, data cleaning, and data analysis. No matter the context, contributing to data-informed decision making is exciting and gratifying for me.
Wherever my career and interests take me, I know my loving and supportive wife will be there to motivate me beyond my potential. She is my everything, and I could never thank her enough for her encouragement and compassion.
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