Samara Ouzounian has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an emphasis in writing for children and young adults. As a graduate student, she received the T.A. Barron Prize for her creative work about the natural world, and presented her critical lecture at Oxford during the study abroad residency. She earned her BA in English from Brigham Young University where she won awards for short fiction and worked as a tutor and teaching assistant. Her work appears in Little White Dress, edited by Liza Long and winner of the Independent Publisher Award. A writer, mother and teacher who loves to learn, she strives to help others develop this same curiosity. Her teaching certifications include both English and social studies for grades 4-12. Along with traditional teaching methods, she enjoys using various art forms to stimulate the minds of students in their acquisition of knowledge—an approach that aims to combine intellect, creativity, emotion, and amusement.