How I got here

Being the oldest of five siblings whose age range 3-11 years younger than me, kids have always been a huge part of my life. From the time I was old enough, I babysat my siblings and family friends' children. After I graduated high school, I decided to persue photography and graduated from the Art Institute of Portland. Art (especially photography) is something that I've always loved. I strive to bring art into the classroom and integrate it into all different kinds of subjects. Art allows children to express themselves in many different ways and think creatively, it's so important to encourage this in early years. 

Although I love photography, I had a hard time making art into a career. I ended up getting a job at Squarespace (how I built this website!), which I worked at for three and a half years. At Squarespace, I worked in Customer Operations as a Customer Operations Advisor (I answered customer emails and live chats) then I moved onto a Quality Specialist role. In this role, I found a knack for giving positive, actionable, and constructive feedback. Learn more about my philosophy on feedback in the classroom here for more information. 

After working at Squarespace for about two years, I knew I was meant to do something else. I have always been drawn to work with kids - my final portfolio at the Art Institute was even focused on children and their imaginations. After a bit of soul-searching, I felt like teaching is what I was meant to do. I started the journey in January of 2018. I graduated from Concordia University in December 2018 with my Masters of Arts in Teaching. 

Things I love

Animals. I have a huge love for animals. I currently have two cats, and a dog (that we got as a puppy this summer!).

Hiking. It's hard not to love hiking when living in the Pacific Northwest! I love to explore new spots (if you have any suggestions, please let me know!!), but one of my all time favorites is Cape Horn.

Traveling. I love traveling even if it's just a road trip down to the Redwoods. I spent three years of my childhood in France where my parents took us all around Europe, which I believe is where I found my love of traveling. 

Arts & crafts. I still love photography (which goes well with my love for traveling), but I also love learning and making things with my hands like cross-stitch, macramé, woven wall hangings, etc. 

Food. Like most people I love food. I love trying new things - currently, I've started to eat mainly vegan so creating meals like nachos and pizza without dairy is really fun to me.

Game night. My family is ultra competitive, so it makes playing games really fun and entertaining! What's not to love about a good game night?