With over 15 years in education, Nadine has worked with children and families across various communities locally and internationally. Working with learners and families across countries, cultures, and socioeconomic circumstances reinforced a principle that meaningful learning begins with understanding and engaging with the people and world around us.
Nadine earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, graduating with High Distinction and earning recognition as a James B. Angell Scholar. She went on to earn her Master of Arts in History with Merit from SOAS, University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies).
Across more than 15 years working in a wide range of educational settings, Nadine brought with her a deep belief in what early education could be. She entered classrooms eager to create, explore, and build meaningful learning experiences alongside her students. Yet across different settings, she also began to see how easily the work of education could become standardized leaving less room for educators to follow children’s curiosity, draw on their own creativity, and respond meaningfully to the communities they served.
Over time, she became increasingly interested not only in how children experience school, but in the conditions that allow both children and educators to thrive. She envisioned a learning community where teachers are trusted as thoughtful professionals, where creativity and experimentation are encouraged, and where the joy of teaching is inseparable from the joy of learning.
That vision extends far beyond the early childhood years. Nadine believes education should help children remain curious about the world and recognize themselves as active participants within it. As they grow, she hopes they carry that curiosity, compassion, and sense of possibility into their communities developing the confidence to consider the role they want to play, the contributions they want to make, and how they can help shape a more thoughtful, tolerant, and ethical world.
Nadine is also a mother of two young children who are part of The International Commons School community. In creating the school, she has sought to build not only the educational environment she believes children deserve professionally, but the kind of learning community she wants for her own children.