Brian Marana

About Brian Marana

My mission as an educator is to provide learning experiences that provoke inquiry, reflection, and transformation.I began this mission professionally in 2004 as a recruiter for The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies, a study abroad program based out of Loyola University of Chicago. As recruiter, I increased enrollment in the program from 63 students in 2004 to more than 100 students in 2006.I moved to the Philippines in 2006 to teach religion at Xavier School, a private high school in Metro Manila. In 2009, I assumed the role of International Programs Coordinator. Over the next three years, I designed and executed two study abroad programs known as the \"Xavier China Experience\"(XCE)- six-week language and culture immersion programs in China. Building on the success of a pre-existing program for eighth graders in Xiamen, I initiated a second XCE program to bring high school seniors to Beijing in 2008. In 2011, I initiated a third XCE in Yunnan province for students in Grade 10. All three programs feature Chinese language study, an interdisciplinary curriculum with authentic assessments, and extracurricular activities for social and emotional learning.I also coordinated a number of other study abroad programs for Xavier students to travel to Korea, India, Singapore, Borneo, and Canada, and I coordinated intercultural activities for visiting students from more than eight countries. From 20••••15, I also served as Xavier School\'s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Coordinator, increasing the number of IBDP participants from 100 students in 2012 to more than 140 in 2015. In that time, we also doubled the number of courses offered.I moved back to Baltimore in 2015 to teach Theology at my alma mater, Loyola Blakefield. In 2017, I took on the role of Assistant Principal of Academics. In 2020, I began a Doctor of Education program at Johns Hopkins University, with a specialization in Mind, Brain, and Learning. I look forward to connecting and sharing best practices with life-long learners of all kinds and in all career fields.

Experience

1. Upper School Principal

   Loyola Blakefield

   Jul 2021 — Present · Towson, MD, US

Education

• Ateneo de Manila University

  Master of Arts (MA), Basic Education

  2008 — 2017

• Johns Hopkins University School of Education

  Doctor of Education - EdD, Mind, Brain, and Teaching

  2020 — 2023

• Loyola University Maryland

  B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies: Philosophy and Psychology

  2000 — 2004