I’m Dr. Rwany Sibaja, Director of the History Education Program and Associate Professor in the Department of History at Appalachian State University. I look forward to working with you this semester on this first—and important step—to becoming a history/social studies educator!

My primary research centers on popular culture in Latin America, with a focus on sports and leisure. Other interests focus on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), especially the role of new media tools in reshaping the teaching, learning, research, and production of history. I received degrees from Elon University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and George Mason University. 

As a first-generation college student, and son of working-class immigrants from Costa Rica , I experienced both struggles and blessings on my career pathway as an educator. To fund my post-secondary education, I received a full-ride NC Teaching Fellows scholarship to attend Elon College (now Elon University). After graduating from Elon, I taught 9-12 History and Spanish at North Davidson HS in Davidson County Schools, and a year at Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County Schools. Outside of the classroom, I coached HS soccer and served as the director of K-12 Social Studies at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools for two years.