Our instructors are the best of the best.  They are caring, supportive, concerned about the welfare of all students, knowledgeable about their subject matter, work extremely well with parents, and genuinely are excited about the work that they do in UWF’s Explore Summer Programs.

Needless to say, the safety of your child is our number one priority, and we take pride in our outstanding reputation in providing a very safe and most enjoyable program experience for your child. Our staff is full of energy and driven to provide motivating curriculum choices for you and your child.

All year long, our staff works diligently to provide UWF's Explore Summer Programs. Our staff is full of outstanding instructors including UWF professors, Center Directors, certified and “highly qualified” teachers from Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, as well as UWF graduate students and community professionals.

Everyone in the Explore Summer Program staff has a thorough background check at the time of their assignment.  Again, we do our utmost to provide a safe and fun environment for your child!

Meet our Program Instructors:

Jessie Brown, Computer Science, University of West Florida

Summer Program: Game Programming I

Jessie Brown started her working with the Game Programming Camp in 2006. She has worked on the Math Matters Game development grant with Dr. Prayaga, UWF and ECSS. In addition she is currently working on the development of a game designed to target high school girls and economic education as well as database development and design for the CEDB Mercury study at UWF.  Jessie has a B.S. in Information Engineering with a Minor in Computer Science. She was the IET student of the year 2009 and represented the University of West Florida in the nation’s top Who’s Who among colleges. She is currently the President of the Association for Information Technology, UWF chapter. She is currently working on her Masters in Software Engineering as well as her Masters in Database Administration. When she is not at work she enjoys playing in the Society for Creative Anachronisms, gaming with her teenage boys and designing in Second Life.

Mamie Hixon, English and Foreign Languages, University of West Florida

Summer Programs: Writing Boot Camp and Creative Writing

Mamie Hixon has been working at UWF for 26 years. As an assistant professor of English, she teaches Modern Grammar and Special Methods of Teaching English as well as literature courses. She is also the creator and director of UWF's Writing Lab and Grammar Hotline. Hixon has authored two grammar books: Real Good Grammar Too published by Kendall/Hunt Publishers of Dubuque, Iowa; and Essentials of English Language published by Research and Education Associates of Piscataway, New Jersey. You can hear Hixon doing radio grammar on It’s Grammar Time every Monday morning at 6:45 on WRNE 980 AM. 

Sarah Hernandez-Trujillo, Hernandez Calhoun Design International, Pensacola Architect/Interior Designer

Summer Programs: Architecture Program (teaching on Friday)

Ms. Sarah Hernandez is the founder and President of Hernandez Calhoun Design International (HCDI), a 30 person Architecture-Engineering-Interior Design firm headquartered in Pensacola.  HCDI is an award-winning firm producing projects throughout the Southeast U.S., Central/South America and the Caribbean with offices in Mobile, AL and Miami, FL.  She earned her B.A. (Architecture-1989) at Mississippi State University, owned her own business since 1996 and has designed local projects, such as the Navarre Visitors Center and the Pensacola NAS Officers Club.  Ms. Hernandez serves as the Architectural Advisor to the Navarre Architecture Review Board, is a member of the American Institute of Architects, and the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition to spending time with her husband and two girls (5 and 8), she is a Girl Scout Leader, has led a Boy Scout Explorers-Architecture Group and serves as an advisor/mentor at West Florida High School and Montessori School of Pensacola. 

Kevin Kern, Department of Theater , University of West Florida

Summer Program: Shakespeare Company: Theatre Art Summer Workshop

Kevin is the Assistant Professor of Theatre at UWF, where he has received two awards: 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award and 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award. Some of the many courses he teaches focuses on Performance and Directing. He was Associate Artistic Director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, where he recently directed Shakespeare’s comedy "As You Like It". Kevin's most recent endeavor is providing The Pensacola Shakespeare Theatre. The first performance will take place August 2010.

Kylie Murray, Walt Whitman Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools

Summer Program: Shakespeare Company: Theatre Art Summer Workshop

Kylie currently teaches 7th and 8th grade Theatre Arts just outside of Washington, D.C. She previously taught middle school theatre in Arizona. Kylie enjoyed three years of touring around the U.S., Canada, and Europe with the Missoula Children's Theatre where she directed students in kindergarten through 12th grade. She has also had the pleasure of working and performing with the Kingsman Shakespeare Company education program. She earned her M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University and her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Chapman University. Kylie is thrilled to be back at UWF this summer, and is looking forward to sharing her love of theatre with new and returning students.

Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga, Computer Science and Engineering/Computer Technology, University of West Florida

Summer Program: Game Programming I and Secondary Robotics

Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga holds an an M.S in Software Engineering, (University of West Florida), and an Ed.D, Instructional Technology (University of West Florida). She is a joint faculty member in the Computer Science Department and Engineering and Computer Technology at the University of West Florida. Her research interests include serious games in education, use of technology in education, and Web tools and technologies. She has conducted several summer camps during the past three years which were very successful and had repeat students! She is a recipient of state and federal grants to develop serious games for K-12. She has co authored two books and several refereed journal articles and conference publications.