Youth Education Instructors
Current Instructors
-
ALI AKBARI
Ali Akbari is a filmmaker and educator from Iran. He received his dual degrees in Cinema Studies (B.A.) and Radio-TV Production (B.A.) from the University of Central Florida, where he made several experimental films along with producing content in both single-cam and multi-cam-studio environment, including United Colors of Orlando (2018), a short documentary about the Orlando community coming together through art following the 2016 Pulse tragedy, which went on to win the Grand Prize from 2018 Tribeca Campus Docs. He got his M.F.A. degree in Film and Media Arts from the University of Utah, during which he received the University Teaching Assistantship (UTA) award to create and teach the Experimental Media Production course in spring 2020. His current works explore reconciliation between his Iranian upbringing and queer identity.
"[Ali] was awesome, taught very well, covered excellent basics."-Nicholas K.
"Ali Akabari was passionate about video editing and he showed it by being generous with his time to make sure students understood the capabilities of Premiere Pro before moving on to other features. He gave one on one help with our projects. He made it less intimidating to work with such a sophisticated program."-Susan S. -
-
DAVID COTTLE
Dr. Cottle received his D.M.A in Composition at the University of Illinois with a focus on electro-acoustic and computer assisted composition. Since the 90s his compositional work has been exclusively algorithmic, generative, computer assisted systems that are, often by design, too complex for human performance. Publications include Beyond MIDI, MIT Press, 1997; SuperCollider, The Book, MIT Press, 2011; and Computer Music with Examples in SuperCollider and Logic Pro, 2012. Each year he records over 300 art music concerts, sessions and recitals including season contracts with The Utah Symphony, the University of Utah School of Music, Utah Chamber Artists, Cathedral of the Madeleine concert series, Utah Choral Artists, The Gifted School, Naxos, Centaur, SEAMUS (2008), and Performance Today. He is an active researcher working with Technology Venture Commercialization and the Lassonde Institute at the University of Utah. He is now Lecturer/Associate Professor and director of the experimental music studios at the University of Utah, where he teaches music technology, audio engineering, and computer assisted composition. -
SAMUEL DUNN
Sam Dunn holds BAs in History and Scandinavian Studies from UCLA and an M.F.A. in Theater-Film from the University of Utah. He was a law student. He is a filmmaker and he works for the Sundance Film Festival. He has taught courses for the University of Utah's Department of Film and Media Arts since 1992 and he has taught courses for the University of Utah's Honors College since 2010. He speaks Swedish fluently and he reads all of the Germanic languages, including Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon. Sam enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and movies. -
-
-
-
RICHARD JORGENSEN
Richard Jorgensen is a Solar Power Electrician for Titan Solar Power, however biology is his passion. Before the Pandemic Richard Worked for the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium where he would educate guests on the plants and animals that call the aquarium home. Richard is a passionate fly fisherman and uses his hobby as a chance to study the fish he catches. He is married to a beautiful woman named Megan Jorgensen and is the oldest of over 30 grandchildren. He loves teaching children and sharing his enthusiasm for biology with them. He sees them as the worlds future and wants to share his love of biology with them. In the hopes that they will learn to love and care for the plants and animals that we share the world with, as he does. -
KATIE LAWSON
Katie spent eight years working on organic vegetable farms in Oregon, Georgia, Maine, and Utah. She started studying and growing fungi in 2016, and has since made it the focus of her agricultural efforts. She loves teaching workshops and introducing people to the fascinating world of mycology.
"Katie was fantastic with all her nerdy mushroom knowledge. I learned so much in this class and look forward to taking other classes from her." -Anne C.
"It's a joy to learn from someone as passionate as Katie. She geeks out over mycology and it makes the content engaging, interesting, and fun!" -Michelle M. -
-
STEPHEN LOBO
Stephen Lobo has been teaching standardized test preparation for roughly two decades and have taught or tutored in various capacities for close to thirty years. He teaches the ACT, GRE and GMAT preparation classes for the University of Utah's Test Preparation program. His background is in biomedical engineering and has worked in medical research, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
"I've really enjoyed teaching for the Test Prep program. It gives me a chance to share some of my strategies and tips for academic success. There,s nothing more satisfying than being able to help students learn a new concept or master a technique. Over the years, I've been able to refine my curriculum to concentrate on those strategies that have proven to increase test scores."
Furthermore, Stephen claims that "Ultimately, students drive their own success. My approach is to coach them on useful test techniques. The only way to internalize these techniques is to rigorously practice them. My role is as an advisor and a coach; I can help guide and influence students to follow approaches which I have found successful, but they must ultimately discover their own best path to success. It is extremely rewarding to see students who are able to achieve their goals. I look forward to helping you reach your potential!" -
JEANETTE PACK
Jeanette Pack is enthusiastic about teaching math to students of all ages. She completed her undergraduate degree in math education and then received a Master’s degree in statistics and econometrics from the University of Utah. Over the last 20 years, Jeanette has taught math at the Jr. High and High School levels, tutored veterans at SLCC, and worked with students at Mathnasium. Her teaching career with Continuing Education began in 2003, teaching Math 1030 as an independent study course. More recently, over the last 8 years, Jeanette has taught several courses in the Test Prep department- including the Math Refresher class, ACT Review, and Praxis Test for Educators course at the University of Utah. Jeanette has also designed and developed exciting summer math camps for kids and taught them as part of Youth Ed at the U. In her spare time, Jeanette enjoys being outside growing a garden, exploring the mountains, and travelling the world. She is an avid reader and can’t imagine life without a book in progress. Most of all, Jeanette loves to hang out with her family. -
TENA PATE
Hello! My name is Tena Pate and most of my friends call me Tenarita. I am a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and have been teaching for 6 years. I teach Foods and Nutrition 1, Culinary Arts 1, Baking and Pastry, and Prostart at a high school in northern Utah. My educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Family and Consumer Science Education from Utah State University & a Masters of Arts in English Language Learning from Western Governors University as well as A Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Degree from Park City Culinary Institute. Some of my hobbies include paddle boarding, going to the beach, hiking, camping, traveling, reading, cooking, and baking. I love to stay busy, be surrounded by good people and stay active. I am very passionate and enthusiastic about teaching and helping others find a love for cooking and baking. I strive everyday to create a positive, fun and safe learning environment for my students. -
PAUL RICKETTS
Paul received his bachelors degree in Physics and Astronomy with a minor in Astronomy at the U of U. He has worked in the Dept. of Physics since 2005 doing public outreach. He also runs the U's observatory, and helped with the building of a new observatory in southern Utah. Paul has a huge interest in photography and astrophotography and helps teach classes for students interested in astronomy and/or physics. -
DAVID SIMON
An Artist, Illustrator and Designer that loves using visual art to tell stories and create worlds. Dave attended summer art courses in our program 10 years ago. Since then he has been studying and practicing his illustration, art, and design skills every day and has been teaching youth art & illustration for 4 years. He is a Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley University graduate in Illustration and is currently pursuing his BFA in Illustration & Entertainment Design. He loves to share his techniques, knowledge, and experiences any chance he gets. Dave has practiced many mediums of art from drawing & painting, to urban art & ceramics. Outside of art and design, he is a certified snowboarding instructor. Dave is very eager to begin improving his students' drawing and art skills to the next level this summer! -
-
ADIA WALDBURGER
Adia Waldburger has built her life around sports. With a great aunt in the University of Utah Crimson Club athletic Hall of Fame and a family that started bringing her to Utes game since she was a month old, immersing herself in the sports world seemed like the only logical career path. She is a former local sports journalist, covering everything from prep sports to Olympic-level competitions. She has also worked for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Committee and Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation. Waldburger is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Sports Management and conducts research in the area of sport communication and marketing. -
KAREN WALDBURGER
Karen earned her B. A., M.Ed. and licensure in secondary education from the U of U. She has taught tenth and eleventh grade English at Hunter High School in Granite School District since fall of 2004. She has served as an advisor to the junior class, Anime Club, Book Club, Hockey Club, Martial Arts Club, Writing Club, and Urban Dance Club. Karen brings a wealth of experience to Youth Education as she continues to work with youth in a variety of settings, including in camps, community service, counseling, education, recreation, religious setting, and sports for more than three decades.