Continuing our Consulting Professor Profile series, I’m pleased to introduce you to yet another one of our fantastic professors: Dr. Concepcion Saenz-Cambra.

Since mid-2010, Dr. Saenz-Cambra has been working with the Saylor Foundation, compiling and peer reviewing our history courses. A native of San Sebastián, Spain, Dr. Saenz-Cambra earned several advanced degrees, most recently a PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh. She currently teaches history at New York University, and has also taught at a number of universities around the world including the University of Stockholm, the University of London, the University of Edinburgh, and Ashland University in Ohio. She has also been a fellow of the American Philosophical Society, the Fulbright Commission, and the Swedish Institute. (You can read more of Dr. Saenz-Cambra’s impressive credentials here.)

One of the most striking details about Dr. Saenz-Cambra is that, as a young child, she was told that she was not cut out for a traditional school – and that a proper education was not in her future. And yet, she still went on to earn several master’s degrees and a PhD. As a result of this experience, she has made it her goal to show people that learning does not always have to occur in a classroom. This goal drove her to work with several free education providers, and eventually with the Saylor Foundation. According to Dr. Saenz-Cambra: “This is the first time that I’ve worked with people who are genuinely interested in creating a better system – they actually care and want to create a free education system.”

Click on the video below to hear more about Dr. Saenz-Cambra’s background, what her experience working with Saylor.org has taught her, and why she feels that students can learn in an Open Education environment.

Stay tuned to the Saylor Journals for future professor profiles!