He has previously held teaching positions in Lithuania, China, and South Carolina, and he received his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Southern Carolina in 2013. He also holds a Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is a passionate linguist who strives to connect linguistic concepts and structures to language pedagogy. Additionally, he was awarded the Michael Montgomery Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Southern Carolina in April of 2013.