Dara was born and raised in the UK, where she attended the American School in London. She majored in English and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia—where she received the Allan Buch Scholarship for achieving the highest grade in Humanities Year 1—and UC Berkeley—where she graduated with a First-class Honours. At university, Dara earned entry to several formative writing seminars that fuelled her love of language and linguistics.

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While at Berkeley, Dara worked as a programme assistant at the International House, hosting a variety of global visitors to the UC campus, and organising events and activities aimed at fostering a sense of community within the university. This experience informed her strong belief in the benefits of effective mentorship. During this time, Dara gained much experience in how to effectively manage and support the learning and development of students.

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Dara has always paid acute attention to the structuring of language and loves to help students visibly progress their writing abilities. Her time pursuing English and writing as an academic discipline has equipped her with the necessary tools to constructively mentor students and set them up with efficient working routines. Dara finds it endlessly rewarding to see each of her students learn to actively enjoy the process of writing and grow to achieve wonderful academic success.

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