J+Bilby

I grew up at the Jersey Shore (yes, the show is accurate) and graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a BA in History and a minor in English in 2006. After a brief spell in law school, I attended Rutgers University Graduate School in Camden, NJ for an MA in American History and I will be finishing my Writing Seminar and completing my oral exams this summer. My focus for my thesis will be on nativist attitudes towards immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, the military as a "whitening" institution for the newly arrived, and how immigrants in the military absorbed these attitudes and employed them against Filipinos during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). I am currently teaching 7th and 9th grade ELA/Lit at a 6-12 in Morrisania, right outside of Yankees Stadium. I also serve as the part-time Transportation Officer for the 117th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard, stationed in West Trenton, NJ. I live on the UES with my wife and two dogs.