I joined the team in August 2021 and I am currently part of the Humanities and Careers teams: I teach IGCSE and A level History and the Careers Programme in Grade 11. I also work closely with high school students, helping them to prepare for university and careers. 

The emphasis Avenor College places on the value of celebrating its community’s Romanian roots is fundamentally what inspired me to join the team. Like many others who were part of the economic migration of the 1990s in Romania, I grew up as a dual-national of Romania and the United Kingdom. While I now profess a deep affinity with both cultures, they were separate entities in my educational experience, which relegated my own ethnic roots and culture to a secondary value. As such, I have the highest respect and admiration for Avenor College’s bilingual, dual-curricular programme and its approach to cultural enrichment, which nurtures young people’s pride in their Romanian identity.

After reading History at Royal Holloway, University of London, I completed my Secondary PGCE at the University of Cambridge in 2019. Whilst in the UK, I gained experience at a school rated “Good with Outstanding features” by Ofsted before moving to an international school in Slovenia, rated “Outstanding” in 2020-2021. In addition to teaching History, I have been counselling students on their post-18 pathways since 2020, with a primary focus on helping students in Grades 11 and 12 ascertain what career path suited them and then worked with them to meet the requirements of their first-choice university.

At Avenor College, a typical day for me might include a morning with my AS and A2 History classes, and a meeting to review and discuss a university application letter. After break, I might be leading a workshop on the futures of careers or in a supervisory meeting with an EPQ or HPQ student. After lunch, I could be seeing my IGCSE History students or welcoming a university representative to our campus. If it’s a club day, I’ll definitely be coaching the high school debate team. I retain an interest in the science of learning and have brought this interest into co-leading a professional development course. Overall, I relish the opportunity to wear many ‘hats’ that draw on my professional and personal life experiences.

Ultimately, as a teacher, I hope to help the students I work with achieve their full potential academically and personally. My educational philosophy is relatively simple: I believe it is the role of a teacher to inspire self-efficacy in students and to equip students with the skills and knowledge to navigate a rapidly-changing world. In short, teaching young people how to learn and to be independent thinkers is as valuable as the subject of learning.