derek.lashot@wasatchacademy.org
435-462-1400

EDUCATION

BA, Psychology, Eastern Washington University; MA, English, University of Alaska; PhD, English, University of Oklahoma; Graduate Certificate, Paralegal Studies, University of Oklahoma College of Law

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Dr. Derek La Shot came to Utah after looking for a teaching-centered challenge in which he could have an impact on the lives of his students. After a mentor recommended teaching at a boarding school, he fell in love with the concept and hasn’t looked back. He has been at Wasatch Academy since 2018 teaching in the social sciences and humanities, while also serving as a drama coach and director of student plays and as a facilitator of after-school Dungeons and Dragons or Magic: The Gathering clubs.

He believes wholeheartedly in providing a thorough, meaningful student experience, but also in preparing students for the challenging expectations and rigors of college and subsequent careers. Originally from Alaska, where he was born and raised, Dr. La Shot has migrated over vast swaths of North America. After obtaining his BA in psychology from a college in Washington state, he obtained his PhD in English from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a certificate in legal studies from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. There, he wrote a dissertation on the paradigms of success and failure as they relate to the construction of masculinity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

During the summer, he works as a paralegal assisting lawyers. In this capacity he has worked on a high-profile dissolution case, as well as real estate and sexual harassment cases. He has also started to write creatively and is currently working on a novel.