Cassandra (Curatolo) Johnson, 2018
I currently work as the Administrative Coordinator for Transforming Post Secondary Education in Mathematics, a grant-funded organization that mobilizes faculty leaders, university administrations, membership associations and relevant disciplinary societies around student success and teaching faculty support initiatives.
As a graduate student, I studied Postmodernism, postcolonial subjectivity, Asian American narratives, and the socio-historical relationship between Japan and the United States. I was interested in cultural mythology and the idea of a national collective imaginary – specifically the ways that these phenomena shape our identities and our understanding of others, and therefore our material realities. The MA program offered a space for me to combine my academic research and my family’s history, making the project all the more meaningful.
I rely heavily on the skills I developed as a graduate student at my current position. Written communication is at the core of the internal and public-facing work I do for TPSE Math. As a grad student, I studied rhetoric, dialectics and disciplinary communities of practice. So, while I do not have a background in STEM, having a deep understanding of how disciplinary cultures and communities are formed and interact has helped me participate meaningfully in conversations about math education. The critical framework I developed during my graduate studies is fundamental to the way I navigate all aspects of my life. In both of my professional experiences, I am always conscious of the power of storytelling.
The community that surrounded me during my time as a graduate student continues to support me in personal and professional endeavors.
