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Amanda comes to the Honors College from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she served as an academic advisor to secondary education minors in the College of Education supporting students in dual colleges as they pursued their own paths to teaching. Prior to that role, Amanda taught English to diverse high school and junior high students for nine years in a wide variety of schools, including the International Academy of St. Petersburg, Russia, and an independent school as it began its first years. These experiences shaped her passion for education that serves the needs of all students at all levels and led her to earn her EdM in Diversity and Equity in Education from the University of Illinois before moving to Columbia with her husband, Matthew.

Amanda grew up in Indiana and has lived in Beijing, China; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Champaign, Illinois. In her down time, Amanda loves reading science fiction, fantasy and horror, often as audiobooks while knitting. She loves playing video games and board games, cuddling with her cat Freya and traveling to new locations both near and far.