Welcome! I’m Ariel. I’m a DEI & L&D professional. You can learn more about my professional experience and academic expertise below. I’m always interested in connecting with people around these topics and discussing new opportunities for full-time work, consulting, or teaching. Please get in touch by email.
About Me:
I’m a California native, though I’ve lived and studied all over the country and abroad. Throughout the range of my formative experiences, I’ve been remarkably consistent in my interests and my commitments, and in craving more knowledge and understanding of the world around me.
My social awareness was present from a young age, and I became involved with organizations focused on diversity and dialogue in my teens. I was the student who took Chemistry in the summer so I could take additional classes in Religious Studies during the school year.
As I’ve grown intellectually and professionally, I’ve deepened my understandings of difference and diversity, and how and why people behave as we do (perhaps the legacy of being raised by a therapist).
But ultimately, I’ve always been focused on tangible change. I’m motivated by a gut-level commitment to making the world a better place, and doing so in ways that are both meaningful and demonstrable. I’m captivated by transformation, which is part of why I love cooking and baking, and consuming art in all forms.
Professionally, I enjoy putting my learning & development skills and strength in mapping ideas to good use, and am particularly adept at envisioning the big picture and enacting the detailed plans to get there.
Professional
Experience:
I provide subject matter expertise of critical importance across fields and industries right now, as well as extensive experience developing and managing programs. My experience is, put colloquially, from soup to nuts!
I have conducted capabilities/needs assessments and developed learning program architectures, taught material across a variety of settings, managed programmatic and organizational logistics, and evaluated trainings and programs.
In my professional positions, I have consistently been granted responsibilities and asked to contribute far beyond their original scope because I have demonstrated broad capabilities and insights. All of the organizations I have worked at have benefitted from streamlined organization and clearer procedures upon my departure. I value both efficacy and efficiency and it shows in my work, which has positively impacted diverse communities and constituencies.
My skills and expertise center in six core areas:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Expertise
Learning & Development
Impact Assessment
Project Management
Facilitating Content & Training Others
Process Creation & Logistics Management
Academic Work:
Broadly speaking, my academic and intellectual work examines how people form their identities, and how others may construct or inform those identities. Topically, I focus on gender, sexuality, and religion, with extensive concentration on Islams and Muslim communities both domestically and abroad.
I analyze how governments and laws, as well as interpersonal interactions, shape who we are and how we come to know and understand other people. I also conducted interviews with men and women in Beirut, Lebanon about their gender and sexuality socialization for earlier research.
All of my intellectual work is in support of fostering greater empathy, equity, and authenticity within and across communities.
I received my PhD in Gender Studies from Indiana University in November 2018, with a doctoral minor in Sociology. I received my MA in Gender Studies from IU, a Graduate Certificate in Middle East Studies from The George Washington University, and a BA in Political Science from Union College.
My doctoral dissertation examined contemporary Muslim identity construction in the United States in relation to identity discourses around gender, sexuality, and race. I analyzed a diverse range of American laws and policies alongside accounts of interpersonal interactions and public rhetoric to more thoroughly and specifically illuminate significant trends in identity construction.
Teaching:
I teach because I am an optimist. My optimism is reflected in my conviction that we as people and as learners - in every setting - can do more and can do better for one another, and I believe in the transformative power of a learning space where all are students and all are teachers.
My motivating philosophy and primary goal as an educator is to help people become more porous to the world around them. With that orientation, people develop the skills, tools, and desire to reflect on their own experiences and ideas and are able to recognize and understand others’ realities. My teaching is dynamic, interactive, and reflexive.
At Indiana University, I designed and taught three introductory and intermediate courses addressing identities, power and politics, and social norms and boundaries in the Department of Gender Studies and a residential honors program. I also taught multiple iterations of an introductory course on gender, culture and society. Altogether, I’ve taught 200 students from varied backgrounds and levels of familiarity with these subjects.
I have a proven ability to make my subject matter expertise relatable and transformative for diverse audiences, and to support and facilitate students’ intellectual and personal growth.
Students have said:
“This course’s real life applications are the most valuable part of this course, in my opinion. This course deals with sometimes sensitive issues and subjects, and Ariel knows how to approach these subjects extremely well, fairly, and without judgment or offense.”
“She was very much herself. She had the attitude that we were equal to her despite the fact that she was our teacher. This created a great, comfortable environment for discussion and learning.”
“I found this course eye-opening. I loved the diverse opinions and backgrounds regarding gender. Ariel is fantastic at asking questions to both stimulate and direct discussion and keeps everyone feeling comfortable while challenging their views (of course a certain amount of discomfort should be expected). She made it fun to learn. Best prof I’ve had at IU.”
“Learning about gender in Islam helped me learn to question my biases and critically think about my own assumptions…She is able to phrase things in a way that makes difficult concepts easy to understand.”
“I believe Ariel’s passion and enthusiasm for the course topics aids in her effectiveness as an instructor. She is ALWAYS willing to discuss topics out of class, and I believe she goes above and beyond her duties as a professor.”
“The instructor knows when to further explain material to students. She senses confusion on these hard topics and clarifies. She is always willing to revisit topics for clarification. You can clearly tell she wants us to succeed.”
“I wish I could rate Ariel higher than ‘strongly agree’ in these areas. She is hands down the best teacher I’ve ever had. She always has a clear grasp of what she intends to say before she says it. She also knows how to rephrase questions/comments when students aren’t fully understanding.”
“She was TERRIFIC in facilitating and encouraging discussion. She let us think. She let me be confused just long enough to form my own ideas. She is great. I would recommend her to anyone…I loved this course. Truly it was incredibly stimulating and exactly what I needed out of my semester.”
“This course was fantastic. Very elegantly designed, interesting, great discussions. I left with my worldview turned on its head (in a good way). I would love to take a class on ANYTHING from this instructor.”
Contact
