I am thrilled to be part of the Avenor team as a History Teacher and Form Tutor.

I deeply respect the emphasis Avenor places on the value of celebrating its community’s Romanian roots. 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 completing A levels in German, History, Politics and Government, and English Literature, I read History at Royal Holloway, University of London. Alongside my studies, I started teaching part time, particularly as the school I volunteered at required native Romanian speakers to help with their EAL support.

After graduating and between my BA and PGCE, I briefly worked in Bucharest as an English teacher for state schools before looking to learn more about pedagogy and apply cutting edge research to my practice. I completed my Secondary PGCE with a specialisation in History at the University of Cambridge. While studying and working towards my QTS and NQT, I gained experience in the UK at a school rated “Good with Outstanding features?” by Ofsted and more recently, worked two years at an international school rated “Outstanding” in the academic year 2020-2021. In addition to teaching History, I took on the role of University Guidance mentor where I worked with students in Grades 11 and 12 to help them ascertain what career path suited them and then worked with them to meet the requirements of their first-choice university.

I hope I may draw on these experiences in my role as History teacher and help my students 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 a rich body of knowledge for students to shape, expand on, and challenge. In short, teaching young people how to learn and to be independent thinkers is as valuable as the subject of learning.

Being for two years the Educational Coordinator of the Summer School Program for middle school, was a great chance for me to provide participants with the opportunity to explore their interests and passions through innovative and engaging activities that challenge and enjoy them.

Last but not least, I am excited to be returning to Romania, to reacquaint myself with the sprawling metropolis that Bucharest has become and to take on new challenges and opportunities.