Sharon Hamric-Weis, JD, earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Secondary English Education from the  California University of Pennsylvania and taught both middle and high school courses at the Palm Beach  County School system. During her last year of teaching, Mrs. Hamric-Weis converted to the Catholic  Church and was confirmed. Upon her acceptance to the Dickinson School of Law, she and her husband then relocated to her home state of Pennsylvania. 

Mrs. Hamric-Weis has her JD degree and practiced law as Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Board of  Probation and Parole. She has been published in the Dickinson Journal of International Law, as well as working as a decision writer for the Pennsylvania Board of Workers’ Compensation. After working in law,  Mrs. Hamric-Weis left her employment to raise her children and homeschool for several years before returning to work as a paraprofessional, teaching and caring for a student with multiple disabilities. She has taught English as a Second Language in a prison setting and is also presently working in the field of mental health. She is happy to be homeschooling her youngest child and teaching writing courses for Homeschool  Connections. 

Mrs. Hamric-Weis is the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assistant Director for High School and teaches  Foundational writing courses (9-Series courses, including Punctuation and Grammar, Simplified Writing,  and Paragraphs and Essays courses); Vocabulary and Writing (10-Series courses); and Advanced/College  Preparatory Writing courses (12-Series courses). She also teaches Book to Film courses, analyzing film adaptations of classic stories.

Mrs. Bonnie Donlon earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Literature from the University of Virginia. She taught writing at the Charlottesville Writing Center summer camp, then taught multiple subjects at The  Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia, with Pre-K through 4th-grade students, including reading and writing in the classroom and in the after-school programs. Mrs. Donlon also co-taught with her husband for the elementary level religious education program at St. Thomas Aquinas parish. When not teaching and grading student work, Mrs. Donlon enjoys reading, exploring the natural world with her children, and spending time with her extended family, including her sister-in-law, Mrs. Eleanor Nicholson, who is the High School Victorian Literature Instructor for Homeschool Connections.

Mrs. Donlon is the Assistant Director for Middle School with the Aquinas Writing Advantage program; teaches the LIVE 6/7 Series Middle School Writing courses, and is the Middle School Assessment Coordinator.

Donna Graziose, MA, MS, is a teacher with experience teaching across all levels—elementary through college—and a professional book editor for the Simplified Writing series of books and Word Mastery Skill Building workbooks. For many years, she has been working as an academic librarian for universities in New York, teaching writing, literature, research methods, and art history. Donna has also enjoyed teaching local homeschoolers for over 10 years in writing, literature, and history. 


Donna, a homeschooling mom, is grateful for the homeschooling lifestyle where she can focus her children’s education on faith and family.

Here at Homeschool Connections’ Aquinas Writing Advantage program, Donna is an Instructor Access (IA) grading services instructor for the 7/8 Series Middle School and the 9 Series High School Foundational writing courses and the Advanced Punctuation and Grammar course.

Robin Conley, MFA, was born and raised in Michigan, USA, and earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and World Literature from Western Michigan University and a double Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in  Screenwriting and Genre Fiction from Western Colorado University. She has over ten years’ experience working as a professional writer, including as a technical editor and content creator for businesses on the ground and on the web; as a publication editor for books, curriculum, websites, and more; and as a  transcriptionist for film and television, including work for the Food Network, HBO, FX, and A&E. Ms. Conley has also served as a writing contest judge, and her professional book editing includes ghostwriting for romance, mystery, and fantasy novels. As a writing coach, consultant, and editor for published novelists, short story writers, and award-winning screenwriters, her students and clients have gone on to win awards and become accomplished in their niches.

After spending a few years in Hollywood working as a writing consultant and editor, she now lives in Brazil with her husband—a home base where she teaches, edits, and is a coach for writers while continuing to develop her own projects for publishing. Ms. Conley is the Instructor Access grader for the middle school creative writing course that she developed for Aquinas Writing Advantage.

Russell Davis, MFA, has written and sold numerous novels and short stories in virtually every genre of fiction, under at least a half-dozen pseudonyms. His writing has encompassed media tie-in work in the  Transformers universe to action-adventure in The Executioner series to original novels. He’s published short fiction in anthology titles like Under Cover of Darkness, Law of the Gun, and In the Shadow of Evil. In addition to his work as a writer, he has worked as an editor and book packager, and created original anthology titles ranging from westerns like Lost Trails to fantasy-like Courts of the Fey. 

He was the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) from 2008–2010, and has been a member of numerous other writing organizations including the Western Writers of America  (WWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and the Romance Writers of America (RWA). 

His most recent releases are a re-issue of the four-book Jenna Solitaire series (WordFire Press), and he’s currently working on a new collection, Written in the Scars on Our Hearts, and a middle-grade novel with well-known author Fran Wilde. You can find Mr. Davis co-teaching the science fiction and fantasy short story course here at Aquinas Writing Advantage.

Doug Hughes, M.Ed., has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (with courses in Radio, TV, and Film) and a Master of Education degree from Bowling Green State University. He has worked professionally in video production in both Ohio and Los Angeles and has taught three different filmmaking courses with several different homeschool co-ops in the Columbus, Ohio, area. In 2014, Mr. Hughes’ homeschool class won Best Student Film at the International 168 Film Festival in Los Angeles. Two years later, the students won a Student Production award for Best Short Film at the Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards. Currently, Mr. Hughes works as a multimedia instructor at Marysville Early College High School as well as teaching the Screenwriting I and II courses with Aquinas Writing Advantage here at Homeschool Connections. Mr. Hughes lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Amy, and twin daughters, Hannah and Emily, who are both attending college in Florida.

Mrs. Sara Keefe, MA earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Mrs. Keefe brings nearly 30 years of experience teaching in traditional classrooms, homeschooling co-ops, and working as a private tutor both in person and online. She is currently homeschooling the youngest of her four sons and is active in her parish, St. Matthew Catholic Church. Outside of class, Mrs. Keefe enjoys baking and experiencing the outdoor beauty of Northern Michigan, where she and her family reside.

Vania Kent, MA is an experienced writer and editor with a history of publication that includes drafting, rewriting, and reformatting; preparing texts for publication (editing for accuracy, clarity, spelling, grammar, consistency, format, and punctuation); and ensuring that all writing meets research and style guide standards, including Chicago/Turabian, MLA, and Harvard styles. Ms. Kent has contributed to many articles, conference papers, and books with her writing and editing expertise.

Ms. Kent earned a Bachelor of Arts and Humanities with Specialisms in Religious Studies and German, an MA in Christian Spirituality with a Research Concentration, and she is currently working on her PhD in Theology in the Catholic faculty at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.

Ms. Kent also serves as a substitute teacher for middle school students, including 6th to 8th grade critical thinking, science, and mathematics. While most of her time is spent analyzing the texts of the 13th-century mystics of Helfta, she also enjoys reading historical novels, baking sourdough, crocheting, and tending to her absurd number of houseplants. She, her spouse, their two precious children, and two naughty but impossibly adorable dogs live in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Daniel Massett, MFA, is a professional writer who has published several short stories and a children’s fantasy novel.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Le Moyne College and a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Miami University, and his experience in the classroom includes teaching high school literature at Classical charter schools and Catholic schools, as well as teaching research-driven writing and creative writing at Miami University and currently teaching at Penn State Harrisburg.

Mr. Massett is a strong believer in grounding writers in the love of the Scriptures, great literary traditions, and the Catholic Tradition, and his passion is to help students express beauty in their writing to, as the Psalmist says, “be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.”

Thrilled to be at AWA to help young writers hone their craft and achieve their fullest potential, Mr. Massett is an Instructor Access grading instructor for the Fiction Writing courses.

Mr. Massett lives in Pennsylvania with his family, where he writes in multiple genres (realism, fantasy, sci-fi, dystopia, western, and magical realism) and is currently writing a literary fiction novel.

Grace Anne McCluskey earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology and Christian Counseling at  Liberty University and attended the Act One Screenwriting and Producing Program in Hollywood led by  Barbara Nicolosi. Fun Fact: Grace Anne is a former Homeschool Connections student herself, completing most all the Aquinas Writing Advantage courses (academic and fiction writing) before attending university and authoring The Winter Elf, a children’s fiction book for ages 8-12, published by Morgan James  Publishing. The Winter Elf is more than a fantasy story (though it is thoroughly enjoyed by fantasy readers everywhere); it is also used in therapeutic practices to proactively guide families through the healthy processing of trauma.  

Grace Anne was trained as a behavioral therapist in Yorktown, Virginia, and when not writing or teaching,  she works with implementing proven strategies to help children with autism build their behavioral, social,  and academic skills—uplifting and transforming students’ abilities and confidence. Grace Anne loves helping young writers build their craft and looks forward to coaching young writers as she was guided to excellence in writing and publication. Currently living in the Ozark foothills of Missouri, she is an Instructor  Access grader for Homeschool Connections’ 11-Series fiction courses. 

Cherise Papa, English B.S., has worked for over ten years as a professional fiction writing editor (books, short stories, and more), helping writers and authors create the stories of their dreams. She has a passion for storytelling, and her work assisting writers in discovering their writing passion continues to drive her love for professional editing and teaching with Aquinas Writing Advantage. 

Mrs. Papa lives with her husband and three young children on the Virginia coast. She enjoys family adventures and activities, encouraging her children’s creativity through the arts, music, play, and more books and board games than they can count.

Join Mrs. Papa’s LIVE Fiction 11 Series courses and watch her recorded Developing Characters series in Caravel anytime!

Geralyn Rea, MA, studied English at Hillsdale College and enjoyed her BA in English so much that she decided to complete a Master of English degree with the University of Dallas, as well. She has been tutoring, teaching online and in-person, and working with the homeschool community across the United  States ever since. Mrs. Rea loves literature and fostering local book clubs and readily says that she can be found chatting about literature with anyone who will join the conversation. 

Mrs. Rea currently lives with her husband and four children in Indiana. Here at Aquinas Writing Advantage,  she teaches the LIVE pre-college 12 Series advanced writing and rhetoric courses and Introduction to  Literature and Writing: How to Read, Interpret, and Write about Literature (Parts One and Two) for middle school students – and is an Instructor Access grading services instructor for Introduction to Journalism and the middle school literature analysis courses.

Mrs. Rea teaches the Journalism courses and the “Introduction to Literature 1: Why and How to Study Literature” course. To get access to Mrs. Rea’s recorded courses, get Unlimited Access here.

Mrs. Maureen Ryan, BA, is a professional writer with more than twenty-five years of experience writing articles and creating content for a wide variety of news outlets, magazines, websites, and book publishers.  She has taught writing across grade levels in classrooms and online for more than eight years. 

Mrs. Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts in English and studied interactive learning at Teachers College, Columbia  University. As the executive editor for Scholastic.com, she helped refine the educational publisher’s interactive teaching tools and web-based lesson plans for grades PreK-12 and relaunched the site’s online writing tutorials hosted by award-winning authors. In addition to writing and mentoring, Mrs. Ryan homeschools her three children. “I feel extremely blessed,” says Mrs. Ryan, “to be able to combine my love  for teaching and writing with an opportunity to serve homeschool families.” 

Mrs. Ryan is the Instructor Access one-on-one mentor/grader for the 6/7 Series Foundational courses (6/7- 1, 6/7-2, 6/7-3, and 6/7-4); the 10-1 and 10-2 Vocabulary and Writing courses for high school students  (Parts 1 and 2); and the 11-9 course, “Business Writing 1: Professional Writing Essentials.”

To get Mrs. Ryan’s’s recorded courses and one-on-one Instructor Access, get Unlimited Access here.

Mrs. Mia Sayre holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Ohio Christian University and has studied at Franciscan University of Steubenville and abroad in Austria. Aside from her role as the Aquinas Writing Advantage Pre-College Writing Support Specialist, she has been a university student grader, writing coach, and course developer for pre-college writing and college/scholarship essay writing. Mrs. Sayre also holds Professional Coach Certification from Duquesne University, guiding students in success achievement, coaching families, and supporting postpartum mothers.

At home in Ohio, Mrs. Sayre enjoys spending time outside with her children, playing classical piano, and baking anything with chocolate.

Rebekah Sotillo earned her Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. While in the military, she drove the aircraft carrier, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72), across the Pacific Ocean to port in locations such as Guam, Manila, and Japan. After driving aircraft carriers, she studied to become a meteorologist for the Navy. With over nine years of leadership experience as a Naval Officer, she works as a Leadership and Interpersonal Communication Instructor for AWA. One of her favorite pastimes is mastering the art of sourdough bread baking. A native of Southern California, she loves the outdoors and spends most of her weekends hiking.

Mrs. Sotillo is the Instructor Access one-on-one mentor/grader and LIVE instructor for Leadership and Interpersonal Communication. She is also an Instructor Access (IA) grading services instructor for the 9 Series High School Foundational writing courses.

Mr. Ryan Starrett earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in History from the University of Dallas with a Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration, a Master’s of Theology from the University of Dallas, a Master’s of History from Adams State University, and a Master’s of Theological Studies from Spring Hill College.

After teaching seven years at a Catholic School in Texas, he returned home to Mississippi, where he has taught at his Catholic alma mater for the past nine years. When he’s not teaching, Mr. Starrett enjoys reading, writing, and adventuring with his two children.

Mr. Starrett teaches LIVE Middle School 7/8-Series writing courses with Aquinas Writing Advantage.