Staff

Elijah Jacobs, 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 recent graduate of 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. So, when I started working at UMass, I founded Question Everything, together with Ned. I can’t wait to explore big philosophical questions with the participants of Question Everything this year!

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.

James Patterson Jr., TA

My name is James Patterson Jr., and I’m a rising junior at Amherst College, where I’m pursuing a double major in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought (LJST) and English. This fall, I’ll be continuing my studies at the University of Oxford, focusing on legal philosophy and English literature. I’m deeply passionate about reading and writing—whether it’s poetry, essays, or short stories—as well as watching films (my favorite is The Shining) and spending time with friends. My philosophical and literary inspirations include David Foster Wallace, Albert Camus, and James Baldwin, all of whom have shaped my thinking through their profound empathy for the human condition and their ability to illuminate the complexities of modern life with clarity and care

Sofia Serrano, TA

Hi! I’m Sofia, from a small town in Bergen County, New Jersey. I’m an incoming junior at Amherst College, double majoring in Law, Jurisprudence, and Philosophy with a focus on political philosophy. I’m especially interested in big questions about true freedom, authority, and how (or if) we can live ethically in a complicated world. When I’m not in class, I love having long, winding conversations that always create even more questions. I’m so excited to spend the summer with Question Everything puzzling through ideas together and challenging our assumptions!

Ece Derya Senbas, program coordinator

Hi there! I’m currently a fifth-year graduate student in the Philosophy department at UMass Amherst. I actually discovered philosophy a bit later in college, and I often wish I had come across it sooner. I really believe that making philosophical education accessible to everyone from an earlier age can give people some amazing tools for navigating life and help us create a better society together. That’s why I am so excited to be a part of Question Everything this year!