Higher Ground Learning's staff consists of a variety of people ranging from local musicians, actors, university students, and educators. Our staff members' qualifications include university degrees and years of experience in diverse fields: special education, bioengineering, music, international peace and development studies, biology, journalism, psychology, history, math, and chemistry. They share a passion in teaching, working with youth, and creative education.
HGL ADMINISTRATION
HGL INSTRUCTORS
To contact a particular staff member, Email
"FirstName@highergroundlearning.com"
e.g."Joe@highergroundlearning.com"

Note, if you get an error message back, email: info@highergroundlearning.com, or call us at 524-0817.
Interested in working with us
HGL ADMINISTRATION
Executive Director / Instructor
"Education is a roller coaster. Everyone gets a different ride."
A friend of mine used this slogan for her Master's thesis and it keeps coming back to me as indicative of my life. I have never, in any direct manner, pursued the field of education or set out to be a teacher. However, no matter what I do, or wherever I go, I end up teaching.
It is here, in the world of education, that I am happiest. I am from the city of Edmonton, which lies in the northern plains of Alberta. I grew up in a large family who encouraged an array of academic pursuits, and studied Anthropology at the University of Alberta. Not uncommon to Anthropology graduates, I landed a job as a server and delved into extracurricular activities including writing for local papers, water polo and French conversational group discussions in cafes.
Soon after graduating, I found my self en route to Utah to snowboard for a season. What was to be a short sojourn turned into a long-term love affair with the mountains that has lasted, so far, 10 years.
To supplement snowboarding, I began writing for ZiNj, a science magazine for kids, put out by the State Archaeologist, and, tutoring girls from the Salt Lake projects. I also decided to take a GMAT prep course with thoughts of business school, which turned instead into a teaching job when I was asked to teach the prep course itself for the Princeton Review.
Thus begins my journey into education. Since then, rather unconsciously until now, I have been a teacher. My volunteer job with the science magazine evolved into an educational project in a Southern Utah ghost town, where I taught kids about archaeology.
While preaching the importance of preserving the past, I got into oral history and began interviewing and documenting the culture of the Southern Utah ranching community spanning the last 100 years. This was an incredible multidimensional project, as it took place in a rather volatile political climate. I was again learning and teaching through community outreach presentations, consortiums and basically a good deal of explaining and sharing information.
Three years later, while dining at an Italian restaurant with some friends, I ran into a woman who rekindled a dormant interest of mine, and within months I was accepted into a Masters of French Literature program at the University of Utah. The Department of Languages offered me a teaching position to pay my tuition, and so every day for two years I studied French literature and taught university French courses.
The teaching ended up for me to be the most valuable part of my experience. I had endless energy for novel lesson plans that would generate smiles and spark interest in seeing new perspectives through language. The setting was fast and furious, and even so, for me, the pure enjoyment of teaching and learning always floated to the top.
Currently I am the director at Higher Ground, an incredible environment for both teacher and student, as here it is all about learning and sharing and finding the most interesting ways to do so. Between the incredibly talented staff, the infinite opportunities to be creative, and the energy here to make so much possible for youth in the community, I have again landed in education, and for now it is where I will stay.
Managing Director / Instructor
Program Director
Hi my name is Danny. I came to Higher Ground in August of 2006 as a consultant - my job was to help one of the students construct a skateboard ramp for a class project - I immediately knew the place was for me. I have since taught a variety of subjects from Ancient Civilizations to Math to Environmental Science and even the dreaded Test Prep, for which I have grown a strange appreciation.
I graduated from the University of Utah in the Spring of 2005 with a B.Sc. in Environmental Geography and Geographic Information Science. Upon graduation, I embarked on a 6-month backpack trip across Asia that would ultimately change my life, or at least my career path. My experiences led me to Snow Lion Expeditions, a SLC-based company for whom I now guide multi-faceted expeditions throughout the Himalayas, India, China, and SE Asia. So, when I am not enlightening young minds at Higher Ground, I am negotiating yak rides in Tibet and taking death-defying taxi rides through New Delhi.
I thoroughly enjoy my time at HGL. It is an incredible experience to work among a group of unique individuals who share the same idea of education: that every student learns differently and deserves to be in educational environment where creativity can thrive.
Office Manager/Instructor
Hello! My name is Katie Battazzo and I am a recent graduate in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah. Environmental Studies was appealing to me because I saw how all fields of study connected to the issues of environmental degradation today. I have been lucky enough in college to experience a bit of science, mathematics, and humanities. I also played soccer for the University of Utah Women's Soccer Team. I had a lot of fun playing as well as coaching local club teams in the area.
Teaching for me has always been in my blood. I was blessed to grow up with my mother teaching elementary and middle school. She always had this fire and enthusiasm for teaching her students and I have always tried to emulate that. I saw how a great teacher could change how students felt about themselves and learning. I have joined Higher Ground because I believe that it is a great place for students to not only unlock their learning potential but also become dynamic learners. They have the opportunity to combine their passions with their education. This makes their experience much more meaningful and I am excited to facilitate this kind of learning!
HGL Instructors
Instructor
Aaron grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and came to Utah by way of Brigham Young University. A former National Merit Scholar and BYU Presidential Scholar, Aaron participated in BYU's Music/Dance/Theater conservatory program before moving to Salt Lake City in 1997.
A professional actor by trade, Aaron found part-time work at Higher Ground Learning in the fall of 1998. Four years later, Aaron is working full-time as an instructor, graphic designer, marketing consultant, curriculum developer, Co-Director of Test Preparation Services, and general jack-of-all-trades for Higher Ground Learning and Spy Hop Productions.
Aaron's instructional experience ranges across virtually every subject in the K-12 spectrum. In addition to his experience with academic tutoring, he has taught workshops in Video Production, Elementary Acting, Web Design, and Standardized Test Preparation.
As Higher Ground Learning's most experienced Test Prep instructor, Aaron has also traveled internationally, teaching SAT preparation courses for international students who wish to attend school in the United States. During his time at Higher Ground, Aaron has developed individualized curricula for mathematics and creative writing, and recently supervised the overhaul of HGL's extraordinarily successful Test Preparation curriculum.
Aaron is currently in the process of developing a workshop for College Essay Writing. Although he enjoys teaching nearly every subject under the sun, Aaron's particular specialty is College Preparation - assisting students with the organizational, test-taking, and writing skills necessary to make the application process as painless (and successful) as possible.
As a result of his unpleasant experiences with high school math, Aaron also enjoys tutoring Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and Pre-Calculus; his recent conversion to math-geek status allows him to relate to his students' frustration while helping them find "right-brain" approaches to "left-brain" subjects.
During the ten or so hours a week Aaron is not at Higher Ground, you can spot him performing with the Salt Lake Acting Company. He spends the rest of his free time writing, reading voraciously, singing jazz standards at smoky nightclubs, watching three or four movies a week, and researching the history of punk rock in preparation for an upcoming role.
Instructor
All types of knowledge ultimately mean self-knowledge
-Bruce Lee
Hello, my name is Adam Love. I'm originally from Salt Lake City, but moved to southern California four years ago for college. I recently graduated from the University of San Diego with degrees in Psychology and Philosophy. I am currently applying to Master of Fine Arts programs, to pursue the advanced degree in Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry. I aim to become a professor of Creative Writing and Literature some time in the future, but my keen interest is in the writing and reading of poetry.
I absolutely love teaching and working with diverse students from different backgrounds and ages. I am currently a preschool therapist at The Salt Lake City Children's Center, and love doing that as well as teaching. I believe that creative education is the foundation school districts have been looking for; it is the best way to reach young students. Nothing empowers a self-conscious student who has consistently struggled with academic success than learning that he/she can succeed using their own hidden talents; by using he/her own creativity for purposes of education.
In my spare time, I love reading and writing poetry and fiction. I think that language arts are the perfect medium for inter/intra-personal communication, and I believe that some of our best ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and wishes come from literature. Some of my favorite poets include John Berryman, Louise Gluck, Marie Howe, Ralph Angel, Jericho Brown, and Allen Ginsberg. My favorite fiction writers are Haruki Murakami, Cormac McCarthy, and Dave Eggers. I also love reading philosophical writings; I personally enjoy the non-fictional works of Carl Jung, Aristotle, Descartes, and Michele Foucault.
I am also an avid snowboarder, camper, and golfer, which is why the Utah lifestyle highly appeals to me. I love listening to music (and attempting to play/write some of my own) and I believe that music, just like poetry, is able to tell brilliant stories that reveal hidden truths about the human condition that are otherwise shrouded in mystery, and unquestioned.
With my love of knowledge and literature, I hope to use most of the wonderful experiences I've had in my life so far to connect with my students at Higher Ground and motivate them to seek all types of knowledge. I hope to encourage my students to think outside of the proverbial box that often stifles young, creative, and intelligent minds and find the version of themselves that they are destined to become.
Instructor
My experience at Higher Ground began two years ago, when I found myself drawn in the middle of a snow-storming February to Pierpont Avenue, to this energetic space, where students and tutors worked together: studying, discussing and creating.
Perhaps the coziness of learning during a snowstorm offered me a familiarity of home. I'm from Buffalo, New York and both my parents work in academics. From this initial impression, I knew I wanted to be involved in this place. I knew there was something very unique about this concept of learning.
I grew up surrounded by books, but I didn't understand the importance of academics in my life until college. I graduated from a small liberal arts school, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, on Lake Seneca in upstate New York. Here I studied literature, creative writing, art and art history. It was these professors, these classmates, this landscape that allowed me to understand that it is the asking, the thinking, the analyzing that not only makes me feel the happiest, but also the most useful.
After college, I tried to replicate this environment. I worked in different offices in different locations; however, I didn't find any of it very satisfying. After darting from west to east and back again, I find myself in Salt Lake and able to write, to read (in the most beautiful library in the world), to teach creative and inspiring students, to see free films, to be outside, to rock climb (in a scared and frantic way), to snowboard, and to just generally live well. I'm not sure what's next, but I plan to see if I can make a living out of reading and writing in whatever form that takes.
Instructor
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
- Albert Einstein
Hi, I'm Erica. I have been tutoring at Higher Ground since the Fall of 2005, and I love it. I constantly find new challenges and rewards at HGL. I love working in an environment surrounded by interesting people, my fellow tutors and the students themselves. I am of the mindset that the difficult things are the ones worth doing. I find constant pleasure in watching students overcome their own challenges, be they Algebra, Spanish, or the educational system itself. Here at HGL I primarily tutor Math, Science and SAT/ACT Prep.
For the past five years or so snowboarding has compelled me to live in rocky places whenever possible. A series of events including a pineapple express weather pattern, college graduation and a near empty bank account landed me in Salt Lake City. I have spent the last year here trying to take advantage of everything Utah has to offer. In the winter time you can usually find me up at Brighton. In the summertime I love climbing and hiking all over the Wasatch Range and heading south to the desert for camping trips. The daughter of a bead artist mother and a "project man" father I usually have some crafty thing going on whether it's silk screening, building furniture, or knitting... obsessively.
Somehow during the last few nomadic years I managed to squeeze in a BS at University of Michigan in Biology and graduated in December 2004. My particular focus at U of M was microbiology, but my personal academic interests are literally all over the map. The travel bug has bit me and high among my personal goals are learning about new places and to speak Spanish fluently. Ecology, politics, fiction, art and teaching are the things that have been keeping my brain ticking since college. I plan on going to medical school sometime in the not too distant future. For now I am enjoying my time both at HGL and in SLC. I look forward to working with new students and I'm also excited about our outdoor and urban art workshops this summer.
Instructor
How's it going, I'm James. I am a recent graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in Finance. I am new to HGL, but am enjoying the challenges it provides. Teaching is harder than I ever imagined, but it has been fun so far. As you might guess from my finance degree I am kind of good at math, which is what I teach the most. If you think you recognize me in my photo, you might. By night I manage a restaurant called the Red Butte Cafe, and if you have been there there's a good chance I gave you some food or maybe some drinks. Like most Utahns, my hobbies include many outdoor activities like skiing and biking. I also am a semi-retired lacrosse player. I played for four years at the U and now only play for fun during the summer. See you around.
Instructor
Jann Haworth received her art education at UCLA, continued her studies at the Slade School of Art in London, and remained in England for the next 25 years of her life. She was one of the first artists involved in the British Pop Art movement, which based its designs upon the images of consumerism and popular culture.
In 1975 Haworth, along with her then husband, Peter Blake, was one of the 7 founding members of the Brotherhood of Ruralists, a group of artists that generally based its work upon 19th century romantic styles, such as Pre-Raphaelite art. The Brotherhood designed the famous cover art for the Arden Shakespeare Series. In 1976 a major exhibition of their artwork was held in London at the Royal Academy. In 1980, Haworth left the Brotherhood and shortly thereafter returned to the United States.
She settled in Provo, Utah, and founded the Sundance Artshack Studio, where she works as the Visual Arts Director and tutors in Fine Art Painting, Drawing and Sculpture). She has written three books on artistic training and teaching for children.
Instructor
I've always classified myself as a nerd. I'm slightly proud of that. I came to HGL because they needed a bass teacher. Now I teach Math, Physics, and whatever else comes through the door. I got my Associates degree in broadcasting, and am slowly working on a Bachelors degree in Physics.
I spend most of my free time in a musical capacity. I play, and record music often. I have been pursuing a career in studio engineering. I spend too much time, and money dreaming about musical equipment. I keep telling myself that I have the travel bug, but am still working on travel bug credentials. My biggest goal as an educator is to instill excitement for learning in my students. I want them to be fascinated and intrigued by what they see and experience. I try to live by this fascination in my own life. I love learning, and I'd like to think that love is contagious.
Instructor
At age 16, I lay strapped to a back board racing down the canyon in the back of an ambulance with sirens flaring, repeating the doctor's words over and over in my head: "You have broken your neck and will need immediate surgery." Only hours earlier, I had been snowboarding over fresh powder. Now I was lucky to be alive and hoping I would be able to walk again after shattering several vertebrae and tearing numerous ligaments off my spine. I awoke in the snow, after falling badly, laying on my back paralyzed from my neck down. With time, the feeling and movement returned. I finished surgery and months of rehab, and was left with metal rods and screws in my neck along with an appreciation for life, an interest in medicine and a realization that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to.
My life has been a yo-yo of moving away from Utah and back to Utah. While away, I have lived in South Carolina, Nebraska, Halifax, and Germany. I have had the opportunity to learn about many different types of people from living in a variety of places.
I graduated high school from Cedar High in Cedar City, Utah, and began college studying Electrical Engineering at Southern Utah University. Wanting to graduate from the U of U, I transferred and continued my education. Midway through my junior year I realized that although I love technology and science, I wanted to work more with people and became interested in medicine. After researching several types of medicine I decided to pursue Dentistry.
Dentistry provides a unique opportunity to meld many of the primary components in my life. It enables me to work directly with and serve others as well as opportunity to further pursue my enthusiasm for science and art, and manage my own business. I have enjoyed my education at the University of Utah where I received my degree in Medical Biology, and am currently applying to Dental school.
Two research projects also highlighted of my education at the University of Utah. The first involved data collection with Dr. Rich Ingebretsen. I studied orthodontic forces during various procedures, structural strength in bone modulus with dental implants and a histological approach to tooth eruption. In a more hypothesis-based lab setting, I worked in Dr. Richard Dorsky's lab, studying neuron signaling in developing Zebra fish. I raised thousands of fish, created mutations and helped develop a transgenic line with antibody-stained COPA neurons. With our research we hope to determine how to direct neuron development in humans, helping patients with congenital problems or spinal chord injury victims. I am especially passionate about this topic due to my own neck injury. Through this research I developed several valuable skills: the ability to ask questions, create a hypothesis and test predictions. These are tools I will utilize my whole life.
Service is also a vital component of my life. In launching the Salt Lake City chapter of the Burton Chill Program, I worked directly with many underprivileged elementary and junior high school students. We transported, equipped and taught 350 kids how to snowboard. It was amazing to watch these children find self confidence, have fun and escape their struggles - even for only one day. I used the relationships I created with elementary school officials when I helped pioneer an oral hygiene and education program that has been taught by pre-dental students in more than 50 classrooms the past three years. At the University of Utah, I also served as director for all student groups and organizations and planned and participated as a counselor at a week-long leadership camp.
I enjoy outdoor sports especially snowboarding and wakeboarding. I love to travel and experience new things. I find myself often working on "street art," but also enjoy studying the masters as well. I also love making and listening to a variety of music. In high school I tried a little bit of everything. I tried the jock thing, running track and cross country as well as playing football. I also tried playing in band, arguing in debate, and being Student Body President. I think humor is important in life, as well as a hard work ethic. Currently I help manage the Red Butte Cafe, continue my research, TA classes at the University of Utah, and am excited to start teaching and learning at Higher Ground.
Instructor
Hi, my name is Josh; I'm a SLC native and a graduate of the University of Utah. I've enjoyed working at Higher Ground Learning since the beginning of 2005; I've found it to be a wonderful environment for both students and instructors to express themselves and strive for well-roundedness. It has been wonderful to experience education from this perspective. Currently I'm entertaining a career in higher education or becoming involved with education policy-making.
I've been involved with the local music scene for the last few years. I've had the good fortune to record an album and promote it on a tour across most of the US. I'm currently working on a second album with the same band, and I'm also performing with a new experimental improvisational group.
I also have a passion for the outdoors, enjoying Salt Lake's many opportunities and environments to hike, bike, and rock climb.
Instructor
Molly was born and raised in the Midwest and considers herself very lucky to have two parents that value a good education more than anything in the world. Her education never stopped at the end of the school day, and, by the time she was in kindergarten, her father had taught her that e^(i*pi)=-1, which she chanted incessantly like a mantra. This initiated a lifelong fascination with mathematics, which, along with Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Yoga, became the focus of her undergraduate studies at Vassar College. Graduate study in mathematical biology at the University of Utah brought Molly to Salt Lake City in the fall of 2004 and she completed a master's degree in Mathematics in 2006. Molly is grateful for the unique opportunity to contribute to the Higher Ground Learning community. She loves teaching all subjects, especially mathematics, and is currently researching ways to incorporate the wisdom of yoga and mindfulness into educational settings. Molly brings a high degree of technical ability and a truly compassionate heart to every session.
Instructor
"The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect."
- Quentin Tarantino
Where to start?
I was born in Nashville, TN in 1982. I was lucky enough to have parents that valued my education more than material goods, as much of our household income was dumped into private schools. As part of the working poor, hard work and diligent education were instilled in me at a young age. I loved grade school and though the Southern private school environment was often stifling, my education progressed at an accelerating rate.
One day after my 14th birthday, my family moved to Salt Lake City. I hated it at first but, like most imports, the culture, lifestyle, and surrounding quickly engulfed me. I graduated from Brighton High School in 2000 with college ambition but little motivation. When I finally enrolled at the University of Utah six months later, I pursued what few things could hold my attention for a full four years: politics, people, and music. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, a minor in Latin American Studies, and an International Relations Certificate.
In my two years off before grad school, I was self-loathing enough to invest in Utah's booming real estate market. I bought a property and quickly understood the meaning of the phrase "house-poor". Two years of restoration gave way to the sale of my house and my reentrance into the world of higher education. And ahhhhhh. . .the view is fine! I never knew that four months of unemployment could be so rewarding!
Currently, I am back at the University of Utah pursuing a Master in Business Administration degree. The David Eccles' School of Business is where you will find me most days of the week, unless I am at Higher Ground that is. This is, by far, the most difficult endeavor I have ever undertaken and your patience with me would be appreciated. My intended foci are marketing and personal finance.
On the side, I have many areas of interest. To name a few: soccer, soccer, drumming, soccer, Audis, cute girls, golf, the Jazz, soccer, the Packers, soccer, music, soccer, and soccer. I am a proud Real Salt Lake season ticket holder and am pursuing a career somewhere in Major League Soccer (or world soccer, for that matter). My love of music drove my career before I dove into grad school, as I worked in the industry for over 8 years. I still manage play drums for two bands around Salt Lake City.
Higher Ground found me through their many great employees. My friends at HGL gradually dragged me out of the ranks of the unemployed graduate students with the promise of making a difference and a sense of self-efficacy. And boy, were they right! I am so glad to be a part of the HGL staff and I hope to be there at least through the end of my MBA. I feel a part of their dedicated family and I look forward to all my future students and experiences. Thanks Higher Ground!
Instructor
Bio Coming Soon!
Instructor
Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world.
- Nelson Mandela
Hi!
First off, my first name is actually Frances, but that's my mom's name, so I go by my middle name, Scarlett. I was born in a small town (Villavicencio) in the plains of Colombia. I come from a culturally diverse background: my father was born and raised in Colombia and my mother was born in the Dominican Republic and was raised in New York City. I moved when I was four to Miami Lakes, Florida and subsequently moved to Montgomery, Alabama, Salt Lake City, Utah, Hiram, Ohio, Dayton, Ohio, West Palm Beach, Florida and finally back to Salt Lake City.
I graduated from Brighton High School in 1999. I moved to attend Hiram College, a very small, liberal arts school in the middle-of-nowhere, Ohio. I majored in Biomedical Humanities (the only one of its kind in the country) and minored in Biology. After having gone to Paris for three months to dance ballet when I was 14, I was bitten by the travel bug. I enrolled in a month-long study abroad program called Natural History of the Himalaya. It was definitely a life-changing experience because I had the fortune of seeing extreme poverty, wealth, advanced technology, and ancient ways of life that taught me so much.
After graduating from Hiram in 2003, I attended one year of law school but, thankfully, decided that it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I moved back to Florida to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and sort of landed a career in museum education. Two years and several trips to Europe later, I moved back up to Salt Lake City to continue my education. I am currently planning on attending the University of Utah to receive my masters of science of public health with a concentration on international health.
I first saw Higher Ground Learning while driving around my apartment. I have tutored before in the past and thought that I should keep on tutoring, since I enjoyed it so much before. I was surprised at the atmosphere and had never experienced a center that embraced not only education, but creativity as well. I've been at Higher Ground since February of '07 and have truly enjoyed working with the wonderfully supportive staff and making connections and friendships with the students I work with. I am an avid book-reader, I love traveling, and I love dancing, especially ballet, although I have been taking up yoga and have found it to be wonderfully rewarding.
Instructor
Sheri Quinn is an independent producer and writer in Salt Lake City. Her stories have aired on the National Public Radio program Living on Earth, on Voice of America, and on KUER, NPR affiliate in Utah. She was a feature producer for "The DNA Files," a series about human genetics, distributed by National Public Radio in 2001. The series received the Peabody Award.
In addition to producing audio stories, she writes science and environmental stories for the Catalyst magazine. And she also produces a weekly half-hour radio show, which focuses on topics in science, on the local community radio station. Sheri Quinn was trained as an anthropologist at Utah State University and worked as an archaeologist for several years. Ms. Quinn focuses on increasing the public's awareness of environmental and science issues through the medium of radio.
Instructor
Kliuchevksy points out that 'life teaches none but those who study it', but this study is no simple matter. As Oblomov puts it: 'Where is the other half? What more can there be? You must look for it. Why? So as not to lose the first.'
I think that the study of life - this search for the other half - is the most important task of a whole person. I try to achieve it in my own life, and I hope that I live in a way that can help others to do the same.
I have a degree in public health with a minor in ethnic studies, and I'm finishing up a degree in international studies with minors in linguistics and chemistry. My chief interests are Russian literature, trail running, and finding some of the forgotten/secret places left on the planet. I think that we should live a life that is hard and sweet.
I teach chemistry at HGL, and as Gogol puts it: 'god help anybody in the education business! You're frightened the whole time, people all have to poke their noses in, everybody wants to show they're as clever as you.' In short, it's a great profession.
Cheers.
Web design, graphic design, technology consulting
I have a passion for teaching, in and out of the classroom and a lifetime interest in exploring the world and learning new and interesting things. My primary goal these days is to find ways to make new technologies available to everyone in ways that to promote education and empower people to reach their full potential.
The digital revolution promises an unprecedented opportunity for traditionally under-served people to educate themselves and have access to high-quality information. However, before this promise can be fulfilled, the tools by which we learn, teach and organize information must become easy to use and accessible to all.
When I am not working for Higher Ground, I can be found making video art, computer programming, skiing, climbing or hanging out with my family.