Nicky Smith

About Nicky Smith

I have excelled in, coached, and taught debate since 2001 and look forward to continuing to lead countless more to use debate to become more engaged, articulate, and informed leaders in their communities.

Experience

1. Faculty Member Professor

   Mount Tamalpais College

   Jan 2024 — Present · San Quentin, CA, US

   The mission of Mount Tamalpais College is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and College Preparatory Program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison; to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated people; and to foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression. Mount Tamalpais College promotes a student-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-responsive model of teaching. My course specifically trains students to-Learn an array of skills, strategies, and support systems to succeed in their college courseworkand facilitate lifelong learning-Identify why they are going to college by defining their own educational goals and academicpathways for achieving those goals-Reflect on their own educational experiences and to become empowered by their ownidentities as college students-Participate as engaged members of MTC’s learning community in academic courses,extracurricular activities, and in the overall life of the college.I hope to grow support for the College\'s Public Speaking class and Ethics Bowl/Debate team.I also-Design course syllabus, texts, and assignments for the Term-Teach Language Arts 99 & Develop course syllabi and course calendar in collaboration with the Academic Program Director-Assess student progress using formative and summative assessments, and provide regular feedback to students-Keep accurate course records, track attendance, and conference periodically with students-Maintain regular communication with co-instructors and MTC staff about the course and student progress-Attend meetings to plan the course, determine final grades, and other tasks as needed-Post class reports on course website

Education

• Northwestern University

  Bachelor of Education - BEd, Education and Policy

  2005 — 2009

• University of Jordan

  Education

  2006 — 2007

• Sciences Po

  Education

  2007 — 2008

• University of California, Berkeley

  Intercampus Scholar, Sociology

  2012 — 2019

• Universidad Panamericana

  Education

  2007 — 2007

• UC San Diego

  Master of Arts - MA, Sociology

  2011 — 2013

• UC San Diego

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Sociology

  2011 — 2019