About the Capstone Project Owner

Born and raised in South Florida, Mr. Jonathan Papanikolaou has always held an absolute fascination with historical architecture, knowing one day that it would manifest by way of academic studies and entrepreneurial pursuits. This fascination soon led to field experience in architectural preservation, restoration, and advocation.

The culmination of his collegiate years has resulted in attaining a rich and diverse knowledge of several disciplines, respectively in history, including that of the Holocaust, Women’s Studies, Genocide, the World Wars, American and European History, the Pre-Modern World, among others. These areas have also allowed him to develop an elevated and sophisticated writing style for his research papers, with great care and attention to structure, grammar, and formatting. Mr. Papanikolaou's extensive knowledge in history allows him to develop and foster cross-curricular approaches to teaching English and U.S. and World Histories as an educator, granting students an enriched opportunity to learn and grow. 

Education has always been the definite goal and his classroom experiences, thus far, has instilled a newfound sense of meaning and purpose as an academician. Mr. Papanikolaou believes that innovation and inspiration are important factors in the field of education and history. Both teachers and historians are not only mentors to sculpt an individual's mind, but role models to build and inspire the future leaders of tomorrow. 

“Teaching is beyond that of a profession; rather it is a career that translates into a prominent stage to educate and inspire the future generations to achieve and push forth for success in life.”

After obtaining his Bachelors degree in History from Florida Gulf Coast University, Mr. Papanikolaou acquired a position as an English/Language Arts teacher in Fort Myers, FL. This is where he taught Cambridge English classes and created a leadership academy: The Holocaust Club, where he oversaw and maintained a curriculum in educating and creating awareness for the minds of students throughout the 2015-2016 academic school year. It was here that he developed and gained skills in facilitating student-directed learning with small group writing centers and workshops. This has led to high standards for writing and language skills and styles to an elevated degree through numerous strategies, including: critiques and analyses of primary source documents, short writing exercises that jumpstart the mind and allow the student to use their extensive range of vocabulary and critical thinking skills, in addition to grammaticism; all the while adhering to the firm Florida Sunshine State Standards. 

After teaching at the primary level, Mr. Papanikolaou moved to Naples, FL and acquired a position as the secondary level Social Studies (World History) instructor in Immokalee, FL. It is here that he was able to instill his extensive knowledge of history and teaching strategies for students to truly engage with the material; which expanded to include primary source analyses through the use of document-based questions (which focuses on non-fiction informational texts and fosters students to think critically and analytically using personal knowledge). Mr. Papanikolaou’s impassioned energy translates well to develop a classroom enegagement that seeks robust discussions to help contextualize the content and material. Overall, these positions and opportunities have afforded him a great deal of experience that he believes will aid in teaching courses in higher education. 

In Mr. Papanikolaou’s prospective career as an instructor at the college level, he anticipates working in a conducive and collaborative environment with faculty and students alike, to develop, foster, and facilitate courses by applying his prolific skills and teaching strategies. In addition to his professional demeanor, Mr. Papanikolaou’s passionate deliverance attracts those who appreciate history and seek out knowledge about the past to better their future. His diciplined nature, strong leadership, organization, interpersonal skills, and high standards for success have proven to be great assets for those willing to challenge themselves.  

“I hope that my work here on this specially created platform helps serve as a learning tool for all that wish to learn and explore the unique history of the proud American South.” 

Sincerely,  

Jonathan Papanikolaou