Staff (2024)

Elijah Jacobs-Marques, TA

I was born in Boston, but I have lived in South Carolina, Florida, and various parts of Massachusetts (where I primarily grew up). I am a rising senior at Mount Holyoke College and a philosophy major with a primary focus in metaphysics. I have been a teaching assistant for an astronomy class and a logic class at MoHo, and I am so excited to have some great discussions and really get to know everyone in the program! I look forward to sharing my love of philosophy and hearing about what everyone is interested in.

Julia Jorati, instructor and co-director

I grew up in a small town in Germany. In 2008, I immigrated to the U.S. and received my PhD from Yale in 2013. After that, I worked at the Ohio State University for six years before moving to UMass Amherst. At Ohio State, I directed a philosophy summer program for high school students and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to explore big philosophical questions with the participants of Question Everything.    

Ned Markosian, instructor and co-director

I grew up in New Jersey, went to Oberlin College, and then got my PhD (in philosophy) from UMass Amherst in 1990. I’ve taught at various other places over the years, including Western Washington University, but my heart was always in Western Massachusetts, and I returned to UMass in 2015. In addition to teaching undergraduates and PhD students, I have been doing philosophy with elementary school, middle school, and high school students in public schools since 2012.

Eleonore Neufeld, instructor and co-director

I grew up in Germany and moved to the US to do my PhD in Philosophy at the University of Southern California in LA, where I tried to eat all the tacos I could get my hands on. I came to UMass in 2022, after having spent a few years at the University of Illinois. Now I try to eat all the asparagus! I taught philosophy in a lot of different settings, and am excited to be part of Question Everything this year.

Vishakha Rath, TA

I was born in Mumbai, India, but grew up in a little piece of suburban heaven on Long Island, New York. As an undergraduate at UMass, I am studying Biology and Philosophy on the pre-med track. I was a TA for Question Everything in 2023 and have been working closely with the program ever since. I have had an incredible experience so far, and I’m looking forward to bringing my love for philosophy and passion for teaching as a TA again this summer!

Mathura Samaram, program coordinator

I was born in the US and moved to India after elementary school. I received my undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Ashoka University in India. I am now a sixth-year graduate student in the Philosophy department at UMass Amherst. Throughout my time as a philosophy student, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to do philosophy with elementary schoolers and high schoolers. I have worked with Question Everything in the past and am so delighted to be a part of this year’s program!