Our Faculty

K “Yawa” Agbemabiese

BA, Ohio State University; MA, PhD, Ohio University

Dr. K. “Yawa” Agbemabiese is currently faculty of Special Education at Bard DC and teaches elective courses in History and Women and Gender Studies. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Foundations, as well as a graduate certificate in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Ohio University. Dr. Yawa completed a Masters of Art Degree in International Affairs, African Studies from Ohio University, and a Bachelor of Arts in African American and African Studies from The Ohio State University. Her current research focuses on education and gender dynamics amongst the Anlo Ewe of Ghana. Dr. Yawa is the founder of the Charles A. and Norma J. Grooms Education Foundation, which sponsors girls’ education in Abor, Ghana, and the owner of Dunenyo Education and Training Center, Abor, Volta Region of Ghana,West Africa.

Victoria Bampoh

BS, MPhil, University of Cape Coast; MS, PhD, Syracuse University.

I grew up in Ghana, West Africa. In 2006, I moved to America with a scholarship to pursue a PhD program in chemistry at Syracuse University, New York. Upon completion of the doctoral degree in 2012, I was employed as a lecturer at the University of Minnesota, Rochester where I was involved in Innovative Teaching and Learning research for four years. In 2016 I moved to join my family in Maryland. I taught chemistry at Bard High School Early College in Baltimore for four years and joined Bard DC in 2020. Besides teaching, I love gardening, traveling, playing the piano and singing Christian songs with my husband, Bismark, and son, Benard, every Sunday at church. The entire family is involved in music and youth ministry. We are currently hosting two wonderful exchange students from Italy and Germany.

Andrea Beaudoin-Valenzuela

BA, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; MFA, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; PhD, University of Cincinnati

Andrea Beaudoin-Valenzuela is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, where she studied World Literatures (BA) and Creative Writing (MFA). She moved to the US in 2016 to complete her PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Cincinnati, where she also completed graduate studies in Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies. She has taught Spanish, French and culture courses since 2016 for the University of Cincinnati, Binghamton University and Bard High School Early College DC. She has published her creative work in different anthologies and magazines, including Fundación La Cueva and Vice. Her novel, Las raíces de la luz, was awarded third place in the National Price for narrative Elisa Mujica in Colombia. 

Eric Ofori Bekoe

BA (History & Philosophy), University of Ghana; MA (History), University of Toledo; MA (English), University of Toledo; DA (St. John’s University, NY).

Dr. Bekoe has been teaching since 1989, first in Ghana then in the United States. For over fifteen years, he worked with The College of New Rochelle as an Assistant Professor of Curriculum Development, Instruction, and Assessment. He later transitioned to Mercy College in 2019. His academic interests are reflected in the many areas of his teaching. Eric has publications in the Journal of Pan African Studies, Africa Today, African Studies Quarterly, and a host of other places. He was also Associate Editor of the PanAfrikan Times.

Virginia Butler

BA, The College of William and Mary; PhD, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Butler received her Ph.D. in English Literature with a specialization in 19th Century British studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining Bard DC, she taught courses at both The University of Maryland, where she was awarded the James A. Robinson Award for Teaching Excellence, and Loyola University. Her research interests include narrative closure, postcolonial studies, and gender studies. She is the 2019 winner of the Bruce Harkness Award for scholarship on Joseph Conrad and was a 2021 finalist for the J.H. Stape Prize for best article published for the year in the peer-reviewed journal “Conradiana.”

Alexander Dawson

BA, Doane College; MA, University of Connecticut; PhD, University of Connecticut

Dr. Dawson received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Prior to joining Bard DC, he taught literature and writing courses at UConn. His teaching and research interests include African literature, migration narratives, disability studies, and human rights. He grew up in New Zealand and moved to the U.S. for college in 2011.

Yumin Deng

BS, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; MEd, Shenzen University.

I have been active in international education in China and the US for over six years, working in both teaching and counseling roles. What motivates me is seeing my students become self-confident learners, seeing them achieve their goals, and watching them develop new language and cross-cultural skills. I hold a master’s degree in Education with a focus on student mental health and a Bachelors in Computer Science. My teaching style draws on this background by bringing technology to the classroom and emphasizing interpersonal student engagement. I’m very excited to part of Bard DC’s community!

Arein Duaibes

Dr. Duaibes received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has been always passionate about mathematics and teaching. She taught mathematics and statistics courses at university and high school levels. Her research interests include linear algebra, multilinear algebra, matrix theory, and mathematical physics.

Yuan Gao

BA, Yunnan Normal University; MA, University of Richmond; MA, Strayer University

After earning an M.D. in Education, Ms. Gao spent three years at DC International School teaching the Chinese language and creating a full curriculum for the introductory Chinese classes. Before DCI, she enjoyed teaching Chinese worldwide. She has taught in China, Thailand, and Australia. She has been involved in language learning, teaching, and IB curriculum development in the classroom.

Alex Honold

PhD in Educational Studies at the University of Michigan; BA in History and Sociology at Rice University

Alex Honold began his career in education in 2013, teaching high school history in Dallas, Texas. He completed his doctorate at the University of Michigan in 2022, researching how students reason about causation in history and develop their own historical inquiries. While at U-M, Alex taught multiple education courses, instructed dozens of student-teachers, created history-related professional development for teachers and teacher-educators, and managed several public history projects related to environmental activism and incarceration in the state of Michigan. He also enjoys paddle boarding, hiking, and playing frisbee with his dog, Argus.

Abdul Isiaq

BA, Washington University; PhD Candidate, Temple University

I am a DMV native (shoutout PG County!) and a current PhD student in Temple

University’s Department of Africology. As a student & educator, my personal and professional

concentrations are grounded in a Pan-Africanist abolitionist framework: my research interests lie

in African diasporic sound & visual art, African gender & sexuality expression, and Afrocentric

pedagogy. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, cooking, and channeling my inner Octavia

Butler.

Parul Kashyap

PhD, St. John’s University; MS, St. John’s University; MA, CUNY Hunter College; BA, CUNY Hunter College.

I was born and raised in Patna, India and moved to New York in 2002 when I was 13 and have been a New Yorker since then, till I moved to the DMV area this past summer. I got my PhD from St. John’s University in 2018 in Biological Sciences. My doctoral research focused on studying the molecular mechanism of Transient Receptor Protein (TRP), a family of ion channels found all over the different parts of the body that are involved in sensing various sensations, ranging from pressure to heat (from food). During my doctoral studies, I took a year to teach at The NYC Charter High School at AECI in the South Bronx and loved the experience of working with high school age students and brining the accessibility of science closer to them. The experience of working with high school aged students was enriching that led me to teach at the same high school and teach courses in Biology and Epidemiology and then college Forensic Science with a joint collaboration thorough Syracuse University. Along with teaching, I also introduced various STEM focused after school clubs to allow students to have access to science outside of the classroom. Outside the classroom, I enjoy reading books and attending book clubs, going on road trips with my family and my personal mission to explore as many National Parks in the United States.

Nelly Lambert

BA, The University of Chicago; MA, Georgetown University; MA, Saint John’s College, Annapolis; PhD, The Catholic University of America

Nelly Lambert has been teaching literature and philosophy for the Bard Early College network since 2015 and is a Faculty Associate with Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking. She is drawn in both her teaching and her research to writers with phenomenal spiritual lives, and she includes Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, and Walt Whitman in that description. Dr. Lambert is currently working on two collaborative book projects; one project is about the eccentric work of fellow teachers. She grew up in Haiti, France, and Washington, D.C.

Chuan Liu

Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Miami; B.S. in Chemistry, Nankai University

Dr. Liu was born and raised in Beijing, China. As an organic chemist during his Ph.D. research, he synthesized a novel class of porphyrin-based dyes and studied the supramolecular chemistry of their nanostructures. He also participated in the development of a drug-loaded hydrogel-coated microwire array platform for brain machine interfaces designed to eliminate foreign body response in paralysis treatment. Dr. Liu has been dedicated to teaching and inspiring a highly diverse student body and is experienced in working with students with disabilities. He was a chemistry lab instructor at the University of Miami when in graduate school. Before coming to Bard DC, he was a chemistry professor at Miami Dade College and a prison teacher at the Everglades Correctional Institution. In his teaching, he aims to let students truly comprehend underlying chemical principles in nature as well as explore the fun of chemistry not found in the textbook. He is a caring and patient teacher who helps ensure every student’s success at any cost. Outside work, Dr. Liu geeks out on European classical music, especially its harmony and counterpoint, and has been playing the piano since he was six. In addition, he loves the medical field, rollercoasters, Asian cuisine, and playing sports.

Carolyn Marcille

PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; BA, SUNY Fredonia.

Hello! I’m Dr. Marcille, and I love working for Bard High School Early Colleges. I have wanted to be a teacher my whole life, and being able to give free college education to my students is the most rewarding daily work I can possibly imagine. My academic work has to do with science fiction in South Asia, and the study of how the science fiction literature of colonized places is necessarily different than the West.

Pedro Rodrigo Marino-Lopez

BA, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; MFA, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; PhD, University of Cincinnati

PhD in Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures (Spanish), with a Graduate Certificate in Film Studies from the University of Cincinnati. M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the National University of Colombia, and B.A in Literary Studies from this same university. Previously worked in the fields of academic publishing, translation and second language acquisition. His research interests include contemporary Latin American literature, contemporary Colombian narrative, creative writing, digital humanities, and film studies. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia.

Andrew McCartney

BA, William and Mary College; M.Ed., University of Virginia

Andrew McCartney received his M.Ed. in Research, Statistics, and Evaluation from the University of Virginia’s College of Education in 2018. He’s a veteran secondary teacher who formerly taught and worked in therapeutic special education environments for high school students with emotional disabilities. As a generalist, Andrew has taught across the entire high school curriculum, but believes that giving students mathematical and technical skills is one of the best ways to put tools in their hands for the future. Andrew is currently working on research projects with colleagues related to issues of equity in educational offerings in Virginia public schools. His hobbies include photography, chess, baking, and hiking.

John Peasant Jr.

BME, Alabama State University; MM, University of Tennessee; PhD, University of Florida.

A native of Cataula, Georgia, Dr. Peasant recently completed doctoral studies in music education at the University of Florida. His research areas involve the use of digital games in the music classroom and social justice with music education pedagogy. As an educator, Dr. Peasant has experience teaching music in grade levels from Kindergarten to college for over a decade. As a saxophonist, he predominately performed throughout the First Coast of Florida within classical and commercial settings. He has played under the baton of Frank Ticheli, Jack Stamp, Richard Saucedo, and other composers. Dr. Peasant has also shared the stage with artists such as Frankie Beverly and Maze, Kem, the Whispers, and many other R&B artists.

Alex Phelan

BA, Bard College; MA, Maryland Institute for Integrative Health; MA, The New School for Social Research

Alex Phelan has an MS in Yoga Therapy from the Maryland University of Integrative Health and an MA in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research. She is a practicing Yoga Therapist, certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher/trainer certified by Yoga Alliance. Her passion is bringing the physical and mental health benefits of the Indian yoga traditions to populations and settings that have not historically had access to this wisdom. Through her work with the BHSEC students, she hopes to offer tools for stress management, physical, mental and emotional health that will last them a lifetime.   

Tongji Phillip “Phil” Qian

BA, Carleton College; MFA, Rhode Island School of Design.

Tongji Philip Qian is a multidisciplinary artist and the co-founder of TPQ Studio. He is interested in locating and capturing the edge of an artistic practice according to his idiosyncratic definitions of #speed, #labor, #internationalism, and #immigration. His writings on teaching and art criticism, on the other hand, focus on the intersections of students, institutions, contexts, and variations. Tongji Philip Qian received his BA in art history and mathematics from Carleton College, and his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Qian has exhibited his work in solo and group presentations in Asia, North America, and Europe, and has attended artist residencies in India, Japan, Germany, and the United States.

Lijuan Shi

BA, Tianjin Normal University; MA, Beijing Normal Univeristy, MA and PhD, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Lijuan Shi has been a teacher of Chinese language, culture, and philosophy since 2005. Besides Chinese language and culture Dr. Shi specializes in bilingual education with a particular focus on translanguaging pedagogy. Her PhD thesis, in Applied Linguistics and Language Education, examined the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy in a dual language program in China. Outside the classroom Dr. Shi enjoys gardening, cooking, and walking her beagle Laika.

Michael Sigrist

BA, MA, Miami University; PhD, SUNY Stony Brook.

Dr. Michael J. Sigrist trained in philosophy and has a special interest in the philosophy of history. His research focus and publications range over topics in ethics, value theory, personal identity, and the philosophy of literature. He is co-editor of Time and the Philosophy of Action published by Routledge in 2016. After living in Germany doing research at the University of Cologne, Dr. Sigrist moved to DC to teach philosophy in the Philosophy Department at George Washington University. He has also previously taught at American University and George Mason University. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Miami University, and a PhD from Stony Brook University. He lives with his three children in a beautiful neighborhood in Ward 7.

Lou Thomas

PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MCP, University of Maryland College Park; BA, Bard College

Lou Thomas has been an urban planner and researcher, video editor, touring musician, and most passionately, an educator. His love for knowledge and critical thinking was fostered at Bard, where he received a B.A. in Film & Electronic Arts, and he is very excited to be back at his old school in his adopted home of DC. Much of his published work has been on how to build environmentally and socially just cities that work for people of all ages. Previously he was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Urbanism Lab at the University of Chicago (2020-2021) and has taught at the University of Maryland College Park, Hunter College, Georgetown, the University of the District of Columbia, and George Washington University.

Daniel Williams

PhD, Columbia University; BA, Rutgers University.

I have a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology, with experience in higher education for 20 years. I have done neuroscience research published in peer reviewed journals. I have taught Biology (General Biology, Genetics, Anatomy & Physiology, and other courses) at many different schools, including Winston-Salem St Univ and Brooklyn College/CUNY. I enjoy a good baseball game, science fiction, taking long walks, and would like to travel more. I am originally from southern New Jersey, so if I sound funny saying “water” or “hot dog” you now know why.

Yining You

BS, University of Science and Technology of China; PhD, University of Florida

Dr. You received his Ph.D. in Physics with a specialization in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Florida. He was also a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics and Texas A&M University. His research interests include dark matter direct detection, quantum thermodynamics, and physics education research.