Ms. Isabelle Karleskint

Growing up near Toronto, Canada, Ms. Karleskint was always a good English student. She helped other students in her class read, and she was always considered by her teachers to be a talented writer. However, she did not always know that she would teach English – or even teach at all. At the same time, she had always taught, be it informally. Ms. Karleskint led Sunday school services throughout most of high school, and then went on to do a BA in English literature at the University of Toronto. Of course, the question she was always asked was: “What are you going to do with an English degree?”

She has since taught essay-writing workshops, created sample essays, guides, and other materials to help supplement the way students learn to write. 

Ms. Karleskint pursued her master’s degree in rhetoric and at the University of Central Florida where she spent time tutoring at the writing center, followed by teaching her own English composition courses.  It was during graduate school she began developing an interest in research. She started bridging rhetorical theory and popular culture and became the in-house “expert”.

Currently now pursuing her doctoral program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, studying English Composition and Applied Linguistics, Ms. Karleskint combines popular culture and rhetoric expertise with pedagogical theory. Currently working on her dissertation, she is eager to create new observations and theories in the field of education.

Ms. Karleskint teaches as an adjunct instructor at both Rollins College and Seminole State College. She has had to create themed writing courses, such as “Writing About: Performance,” which not only helped her to understand her dissertation more, but also helped her students to connect theoretical concepts with something concrete and visible.

Along the way, Ms. Karleskint has been able to participate in the 2021 Conference on College Composition and Communication, where her group did a Marvel’s “Avengers”-themed panel on teaching during the pandemic. She has also kept in touch with former students as they have moved on to apply to graduate school, including medical school.

When she is not teaching or working on her dissertation, Ms. Karleskint can be found spending time with her husband (Peter) and her dog (Odin), as well as running her food blog and testing out new recipes.