As Coordinator of the Center for Academic Success & Career Opportunity (CASCO), AJ Fitzgerald works directly with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, faculty, and students to develop new study support programs and resources at Temple Rome. Under Fitzgerald’s guidance, the center offers several student-facing services, including writing tutoring, academic coaching, and consultations on resumes, cover letters and personal statements. Additional services for faculty were introduced beginning in 2019, including individual consultations on teaching materials as well as a new Teaching Workshop Series. With 5+ years of experience in international education and writing pedagogy, Fitzgerald believes strongly that the value of written communication skills transcends national, cultural, linguistic and disciplinary boundaries.
Originally from Harrison, NY, AJ Fitzgerald first came to Italy in 2016 as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Before coming to Temple Rome, Fitzgerald worked for the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, an international arts residency program in Umbertide, Umbria. Back in the United States, Fitzgerald taught for various programs at the University of California-Davis for both domestic and international students, including an introductory creative writing course, a seminar for first-year international students, and a summer EFL program offered by the UC Davis extension school.
Holding degrees in both Physics (B.A. 2011 – Brown University) and English (M.A. 2015 – University of California, Davis), Fitzgerald’s creative/research interests lie at the intersection of STEM and the humanities: the relationships between science, science policy, literature and other creative media, as well as the socio-cultural impacts of advancements in science and technology.
Fitzgerald has been working as Coordinator of the Center for Academic Success & Career Opportunity since September 2018.