Teaching

Drawing from seventeen years of hands-on peacebuilding experience, my teaching philosophy centers on bridging the often vast divide between academic theory and real-world practice. In my classroom, students engage with both the foundational theories that define our discipline and the critical skills necessary to evaluate how these concepts perform when confronted with the complex realities of conflict, governance, and social change. This approach ensures that learning extends beyond memorizing theoretical frameworks to developing the analytical capacity to understand when, why, and how these theories succeed or fall short in practice. By integrating field experience with rigorous academic inquiry, I aim to prepare students who can think both theoretically and practically about the complex challenges facing our world today.

Teaching Philosophy

My Approach

My teaching is fundamentally shaped by my experience as both a practitioner and a scholar. Having worked in active conflict zones and participated in peace negotiations, I am driven by the conviction that political science must be a tool for understanding and improving the human condition. My passion for these subjects, born from direct experience, aims to foster deep engagement and understanding. Ultimately, my goal is for students to leave my classroom with a new lens for viewing the world—as one student kindly noted, to have their "eyes opened to the subject of global policy issues." This transformation from passive observer to engaged, critical thinker is the most rewarding outcome of my teaching.

  • Theory & Practice

    Anchoring abstract concepts in concrete case studies and my professional experience.

  • Critical Inquiry

    Using sequential questioning to guide students to discover insights and weigh ethical trade-offs.

  • AI for Analysis

    Harnessing AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, the nuanced work of human analysis.

Courses Taught

At UNC-Chapel Hill

Global Policy Issues

Teaching Fellow/TA

Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Surveys major global challenges, including trade, poverty and development, migration, international security, energy transition, and climate change.

Data Literacy

Teaching Assistant

Fall 2025

An introduction to the fundamental skills of finding, evaluating, and analyzing data.

Making Public Policy

Teaching Assistant

Spring 2022

Explores theories, actors, institutions, and processes involved in the formulation and implementation of public policy.

As Instructor of Record for Undergraduate and Graduate Levels (Colombia)

Humanitarian Action

Instructor

Universidad Nacional de Colombia | 2011-2016

Examines the principles, practices, and challenges of humanitarian intervention in complex emergencies (undergraduate and graduate level).

Security Policies

Instructor

Escuela de Estudios Superiores de Policía | 2009-2011

A detailed analysis of the evolution of law enforcement and security policies, mainly comparing North American, European, and South American cases (graduate level).

Political Theory and Law

Instructor

Universidad Santo Tomas | 2009-2010

Introduces foundational concepts in political and law theory, connecting theoretical basis to practical legal frameworks (undergraduate level).