Academic overview
I earned a Ph.D. in Communication from Liberty University in 2026. I also hold an M.A. in Communication from New York Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Communication Arts from St. John’s University. My work bridges scholarly inquiry, teaching, and the communication demands of emergency medical services and public service.
ORCID iD: 0009-0006-8750-6435 ↗
Doctoral research
2026
The Social Construction of Firearm Meaning in 2022 Hollywood Films: A Qualitative Content Analysis
Doctoral dissertation · Liberty University
This qualitative study examines how 2022 Hollywood films communicate meanings about firearms through story, character, visual symbolism, and genre. It considers the ways screen narratives frame power, identity, heroism, conflict, and morality. The research draws on social construction and semiotic perspectives to understand how entertainment media can shape shared cultural meaning.
Read the dissertation in Liberty University's repository ↗
Research focus: the messages audiences encounter in popular media—and how those messages acquire meaning in social and cultural contexts.
Research agenda: cinema and cultural meaning
I plan to extend my doctoral research into a broader study of how contemporary cinema communicates social meanings through narrative, genre, and visual symbolism.
Building on my analysis of firearm representations in 2022 Hollywood films, I am interested in how filmmakers construct and challenge ideas about authority, identity, heroism, and legitimacy. Future work may compare these representations across genres and time periods, examining how editing, character development, and cinematic conventions shape the meanings made available to audiences.
My goal is to continue contributing to film and media studies through qualitative analysis, scholarly writing, and conference presentations. These are intended research directions rather than a claim that a new study is already underway.
Explore the completed dissertation ↗
Higher-education teaching
Since 2005
St. John’s University
Adjunct Associate Professor · Communication
Teaching and mentoring students in communication, media, and related applied disciplines. Coursework connects critical thinking with effective messages, professional practice, and digital media.
Since 2003
Kingsborough Community College
Adjunct Lecturer · Tourism & Hospitality
Instruction in professional communication and applied topics, drawing on experience across education, technology, and service organizations.
The teaching portfolio includes a teaching philosophy, selected creative work, and a summary of student course evaluations.
Open the portfolio ↗Courses taught
Selected courses documented in my academic CV and teaching portfolio.
St. John’s
Communication and media production
- Editing: Adobe Premiere — project-based digital video editing and production workflows.
- Storytelling Across Media — narrative development across video, audio, and digital platforms.
- Multimedia Communication — video, podcast, and blog production; critical media analysis.
- Principles of Digital Media Design — visual communication using Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Kingsborough
Tourism & Hospitality instruction
Undergraduate instruction, course development, and student mentoring at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. Specific course titles are not listed in my current public CV and will be added once confirmed.
Teaching evaluations: St. John’s students rated my teaching an average of 4.71 / 5 across 51 responses in nine evaluated course sections (2018–2023), as reported in the teaching portfolio.
Research & teaching interests
Communication theoryMedia studiesFilm analysisSocial constructionSemioticsPopular cultureDigital mediaApplied communication
Professional endorsements
Selected third-party recommendations documenting my applied communication and media-production work.
30 June 2020
Anthony Melchiorri
Television host and creator of Hotel Impossible
In a letter following a Kingsborough Community College seminar, Mr. Melchiorri recommended my digital-content and video-editing skills. He described my work preparing footage from Hotel Impossible for discussion during the presentation.
View public recommendation letter (PDF) ↗
The public copy preserves the letter's wording and typed attribution but omits the handwritten signature for privacy.