Dr. MaryBeth Drake is a lifelong learner and teacher with a BA in Special Education from Greensboro College, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Hollins University, a Master of Science in Education from Nova Southeastern University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Walden University. She is especially interested in the experiences of first-year college students and the challenges they face. She has been teaching college-level English composition courses since 2005. Currently, she teaches Advanced Composition courses online for Johnson & Wales University. MaryBeth is also an artist and is a member of the Nelson Gallery in downtown Lexington, Virginia.