Hello! My name is Drew. I am a native New Yorker who over the course of my life has been able to see and experience many amazing places around the United States and the world. Currently, I am a NYC public high school social studies teacher and wrestling coach who in my free time enjoys exploring new destinations both near and far. My passion for traveling started at a young age to the credit of my family. I first traveled abroad to England with my parents at the age of five. I grew up playing travel ice hockey and was able to travel all over the United States and Canada. However, it was the people, food and culture of Mexico, the Bahamas and Spain during my adolescence that truly made me want to travel more extensively in the future.
At eighteen, I relocated for college to The University of Maryland, College Park. I found my passion during a Cold War film course (as lazy as that might sound it was during the summer to get ahead on credits) and switched my major shortly after. I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Government & Politics from the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences (BSOS). My primary concentration was U.S. Foreign Policy, specifically the Cold War & Post Cold War Hotspots. I also had secondary concentrations or what most would consider minors in Southeast Asian Studies and Early American History.
After college I joined the military and later worked some odd jobs, but eventually I began substitute teaching in public schools in Queens, NY and that as they say is history. A combination of almost half the year off, paid vacations and most importantly listening to culturally, politically and socially unaware high school students who I was able to connect with and assist in learning from my experiences made it evident that the profession was a correct fit.
Since 2006 I have been working as a social studies teacher and continue to teach a variety of courses including history (American, Global), government and economics. During that time I went back to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education & Youth Services (SEYS) from Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY). My concentration was Social Studies 7 – 12. I completed my final curriculum based around the theme of U.S. Foreign Policy – War & Conflict in the 20th & 21st Centuries, which allowed me the opportunity to develop content based on my academic pursuits in college.
One of the greatest advantages of being a school teacher who loves to travel is the amount of time off they have to recharge for the next academic year to begin. Since I began teaching I have utilized my time off, particularly during the summer months to explore many destinations in both the United States and around the globe. These trips have allowed me to visit:
- Asia (2011 – South Korea, 2011 – Thailand)
- Europe (2009 Baltic Cruise; England, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden)
- North America – The United States (2007 – Disney World 2008 – Maine Road Trip, 2010 – Arizona, 2011 – Hawaii, 2012 – California Road Trip) – 2013 – Costa Rica
Dream Trip(s) (in no particular order) –
- Andes Mountain Range – From Machu Picchu to Patagonia onto Antarctica
- Africa – Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls & Safari (Kenya? South Africa?)
- Cruising the Galapagos Islands
- Himalayan Mountain Range Countries – Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal – Mount Everest Base Camp (After seeing the movie K-2 in high school I have had a desire to learn how to mountain climbs and have always been interested in the range and region, but never seem to find the time to begin.)
- Near & Middle East – Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey
- Morocco & The Canary Islands
- South Pacific – Island Hoping to the Next Dream Destination Beach
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Cultural & Historical Locations Worldwide – At times I plan to visit them and on other occasions I have stumbled across them without any long term planning.