Sharon Pajka holds a Ph.D. in English Education from the University of Virginia and an MA in Deaf Education: Secondary from Gallaudet University. For her doctoral dissertation, she conducted research on the portrayals and perceptions of deaf characters in adolescent literature. In 2007, she began publishing a Blog on deaf characters literature. Along with teaching first year students, she enjoys teaching Adolescent Literature, Introduction to Literature Studies, Theories of Composition & Language Acquisition, and Vampires: Their Historical Significance in Literature, Film, and Pop Culture which made the Washington Post's list "The 15 Oddest College Courses in the D.C. Region".