Biography

Sunshine has been a part of the AFS community since 2013. As a writer, Sunshine is a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers novelist; her work has been translated and published throughout the world, including the W.W. Norton teaching anthology, Best Creative Nonfiction, which is used on college campuses across the country. For almost two decades, Sunshine taught creative writing and art to underserved children in poverty-stricken schools, homeless shelters, and residential facilities through The Coffeehouse Project, a mobile literacy classroom she founded in Philadelphia. She published literary magazines created and edited by abused and abandoned youth in the tri-state area with a special focus on children telling their stories about their experiences in the DHS placement system. Sunshine also taught Upper School English at the Episcopal Academy and recently published a mindfulness book for toddlers called Your Vacation on Planet Earth (Out Breath Press).

Sunshine’s favorite part about working in the AFS community: “I love so many things about working at AFS! I especially love our students’ dedication to social justice and equity.“

What Sunshine finds most meaningful in her profession: “I feel very lucky that I get to witness so many “aha” moments (those times when we suddenly understand the depth of our own capabilities). They are priceless!”

Fun fact about Sunshine: “I was a featured cake artist on Alton Brown’s Food Network show, “Ridiculous Cakes”.  I am also a trained Kumdo samurai sword-fighter.”

Sunshine’s favorite spot on campus: “The secret garden in the middle of the Upper School.”