Shawn Moore

I don't like writing full bios. I'm never really sure how far back to go. I guess I can start like David Copperfield, "I was born," but nobody wants to hear all that and I'm sure there's a character limit anyways. I will say that I started in life with a disdain for education (public school). I left school early and went to work a "real" job. I did that until I was 21. I had a lot of "real" jobs. I was a paramedic, a bag boy, a computer technician, and finally ended up as a data analyst (fancy way of saying data entry) at a large corporation in Torrence, Ca. After learning that I ditched out on my formal schooling, the corporation sent me to community college. My first class was an intro to lit course. The instructor strolled in five minutes late wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. He didn't lecture. He talked for a bit, and gave his interpretation of White Heroin. He said he thought the tree sexually assaulted the protagonists (I'm cleaning up the language) and everyone just about fell out of their seats. I realized at that moment that I could never return to a cubicle again. I knew that I must be like this man, I must wear Hawaiian shirts, cargo shorts, and sandals to work every day and I must teach.

Well, I still wear sandals (my partner will not let me wear Hawaiian shirts or cargo shorts) and I'm still working on becoming a teacher, but not just a good teacher, the best. I love what I do. I love teaching, but I love research. Being in a Ph.D. program is like heaven (if heaven was sometimes depressing and stressful). I've done a lot and my previous experiences are what motivate me to work in different areas of specialization. I'm a big believer in practicing theory and what I'm doing now allows me to do that in ways I never imagined.