Researcher Bios

Jessica
I am a faculty member at the University of Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa). I teach in the English Department and serve as Director of the Writing Center. The courses I teach include Reading and Study Skills (developmental reading course), Composition I (developmental composition), Composition II (FYC), and Introduction to Research Writing. Prior to joining the faculty full-time, I was an adjunct professor and worked as the Communication Coordinator at the Finley Health Foundation. I also work occasionally as a freelance writer.

My academic interests have always been centered around writing and communication. Both of the universities I attended were very large, public universities. I completed my Bachelor of Arts from University of Iowa in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a minor in English. I received my Master of Arts in Communication Studies from University of Northern Iowa. While there, I worked as a graduate assistant teaching Oral Communication.

I grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. With the exception of my time in college, I have lived there my entire life. I have attended public schools throughout my entire education. When I was growing up, education was an important part of the discussions that were held around the dinner table every night. As part of these discussions, service to others was a common theme.

My parents believed it was important to encourage children to value their education and personal development. I never thought about whether I would attend college, but rather considered where I would attend. In a sense, it was a part of my expected education process, just like high school. Both of my parents were first-generation college students and both are college graduates. I believe that my parents' support was critical to the success that I have had in my education. I also believe that the values I learned about serving others has been a major reason that I enjoy teaching and want to grow as a teacher.

Sabatino
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ~Albert Einstein

I am a faculty member in the Writing Arts Department at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. I teach in the First-Year Writing program. As a sports reporter and freelance writer, I have published over 1,000 professional articles, including pieces in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Business Journal, and Philadelphia Life Magazine.

I was born in Philadelphia, but now I live in Glassboro—a South Jersey town outside of Philadelphia. I came to post-secondary education as a first-generation college student. I experienced some growing pains as I adjusted to a higher level of academia.

That said, my childhood experiences did provide me with a distinct type of education—one that aided my border-crossing into college. I grew up around relatives with dynamic personalities. Passionate people who loved to interact with each other—to laugh and cajole and tell stories. As a result, my family has had a large impact on my professional and academic interests.

My professional career has always involved communication—in a sense, telling stories. I have worked as a reporter, editor, copywriter, and as a freelance writer. Thus, I relied on my persuasive ability to connect with the people I interviewed as well as with my potential writing audience. As a teacher, I draw on these experiences to engage my first-year writing students in a social community of learning. I want to know my students and to help them construct knowledge. I encourage my students to collaborate with each other to facilitate learning as well as to write compelling pieces. Ultimately, I help my students tell their stories.

With this as a backdrop, I plan to approach my doctoral research through a social constructionist framework that stresses narrative inquiry as a means to acquire knowledge. My experiences with first-year writing students have shown that their writing abilities improve when they are active participants in a collaborative learning environment. When these students discuss and write about themselves within the larger context of society, they gain stronger self-awareness along with a greater understanding of their place in the world. To me, this sort of self-actualization serves as the solid grounding for all forms of educational pursuits and knowledge acquisition.