At Davidson College, Catherine studied English literature, Spanish, and Latin American culture while also playing Division I volleyball. Her undergraduate experiences in England and Mexico made her eager to travel further abroad, so she moved to Japan, where she worked for two years with the Tokachi Board of Education, teaching English in several schools in the Hokkaido prefecture. Returning to North Carolina, Catherine attended Wake Forest University as Graduate Fellow for the English M.A. program. She then moved to New York City with her husband and began a long career of teaching English and Art History courses for grades 7-12. She has served in various advisory and educational consulting roles in Manhattan, and edited five books for young adults and children. In 2022, Catherine completed an action research study for the International Boys School Coalition, followed by a series of presentations about the value of video feedback for middle school students. Her current research focuses on relational learning, extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, and the concept of play in pedagogy, literature, and art. She has continued to travel extensively, as a leader of international study tours, for professional conferences, and to carry on her studies in other cultures. Catherine has two children, ages 21 and 16, and she enjoys her ongoing connections to countless students she has known through teaching, tutoring, service work, and summer programs. She has previously served as Student Dean for Oxford Academia.
