Baranda Hagen is an educational hacker, international speaker, and outdoor enthusiast with a serious addiction to podcasts, and learning new things. Born and raised in the Golden Isles of Georgia, she earned a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Georgia, and  holds a Master of Education from the University of Alabama.

Baranda began her career in copywriting and film production. Her first job upon graduation was at Tool of North America, one of the top full service commercial production companies in the world. While in Los Angeles, she also worked as a script editor, casting assistant, actress and of course waitress. After Hollywood, she worked in San Francisco for West Coast Life Insurance in their Human Resources and Marketing departments. During that time, she also attended SFSU and studied psychology.

Baranda took on her biggest challenge so far in 2004, when she became a middle school teacher.  For 19 years, she has been designing and implementing lessons based on cognitive theory and cutting edge instructional strategies. She has presented her strategies internationally on  Authentic Learning.  She loves teaching because it is an endeavor worthy of hard work and creativity. Baranda taught in Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO, Osaka, Japan, Asunción, Paraguay and Atlanta, GA.