• Upon completing my degree in Communications and Spanish at Loyola University New Orleans in 2001, I went to work in the mortgage banking industry but left in 2006 because I felt I wanted to do something more creative and positive with my life. So I decided to go back to school and study philosophy. I left the US in 2006 to pursue my studies in philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Why philosophy? I chose it because it is a discipline that requires critical thinking at all times and can be applied to all facets of life. Philosophy is a search for knowledge, wisdom and an existential exploration of the meaning of t…
• Upon completing my degree in Communications and Spanish at Loyola University New Orleans in 2001, I went to work in the mortgage banking industry but left in 2006 because I felt I wanted to do something more creative and positive with my life. So I decided to go back to school and study philosophy. I left the US in 2006 to pursue my studies in philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Why philosophy? I chose it because it is a discipline that requires critical thinking at all times and can be applied to all facets of life. Philosophy is a search for knowledge, wisdom and an existential exploration of the meaning of truth; it is an exercise for improvement of the self and society; it is a way of life that advocates for good and encourages community and strong (appropriate) social institutions.
• While in Rome, I worked for two specialized agencies of the United Nations, which was complementary to the research I did for my dissertation: over the course of my time studying philosophy at the Gregorian and working for the UN, I became much more sensitive to inequalities that exist in various forms around the world. The inequalities I worked against included but were not limited to the availability of nutritious food, clean and potable water, education, shelter, clean air – the basics that, when provided, can ensure a person’s dignity or, when lacking or even withheld, diminish and eventually destroy that dignity.
• For my PhD in Philosophy at the Gregorian, the goal of my dissertation was to develop a system of corporate ethics based on an interpretation Emmanuel Levinas’ ethical demand and Paul Ricoeur’s action as text. The thesis, in short, is that the individual persons, as Is, who comprise the corporation must respond to the call(s) of the other(s) immediately, positively and appropriately and that the human actions committed either within the context of the corporation or in the name of the corporation must be examined under the hermeneutical lens so that we may remove the tendency for blame and recrimination and instead promote open dialogue thus allowing us to continuously learn about how our actions impact the self and the other. Even though I am still working to strengthen some of my arguments, the project was successful, and I hope to continue to develop various aspects into other major and minor projects (books, articles, seminars, papers and classes).
• Given my extensive research on the philosophies of Levinas and Ricoeur (as well as those of Heidegger and Kant) for my dissertation, my areas of specialization are 20th Century Continental Philosophy, phenomenology, ethics and metaphysics. Additionally, I am qualified to teach ontology as I have studied the ontological philosophies of Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz and Lonergan quite thoroughly. Although my studies have largely focused on contemporary anthropological issues, I am also interested in studying quantum physics in order to expand my research to include a study of the significance of theories on spacetime and gravity as they relate to the nature of our being, the human being as such and being qua being – likewise, I would like to understand how the human being reciprocally impacts spacetime and gravity, if at all. Therefore, I will be broadening my range of teaching to include anthropology as it relates to quantum theory, teleology and cosmology.
• While I can be described as highly intelligent, motivated, creative, organized and easy to work with, those are just characteristics and only marginally reflect who I am. I am someone who believes that it is my responsibility to apply my talents and passion for philosophy to improve the human condition and further human development, to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves on a global scale when possible. The work that I did for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a communications officer supported the work that was done on various levels within the Organization to eradicate hunger and ensure global food security. I had unique opportunities to contribute to FAO meeting its goals and fulfilling its mandate, and I appreciate that.
• Now it is time for me to focus my time, attention, talent and passion to students in the classroom to share the experience, knowledge and wisdom that I have gained through philosophy. Relying on my education, professional experiences and skills, passion for responsible human action and my everyday experience with my fellow man, I would like to engage in dialogue with students and professors in a way that has a lasting impact on a personal level as well as a societal level. Learning is a process, a journey, and philosophy is a discipline that can enable open dialogue for the improvement of the human condition. Not any less important to developing an engaging classroom experience, I will also continue my research in human relationships, human action and responsibility as it relates to justice, the marginalized, corporations and other institutions that impact our experiences and wellbeing. I am dedicated to research in this area of philosophy because I believe it is central to human development and the improvement of our relationships with the self, the other person and society at large.