As a native of Georgia who has lived here my entire life, I graduated from Southern Polytechnic State University in 1989 with a B.S. in Computer Science and went to work writing banking software for the next eleven years.  I wrote financial and cash management software for many big name banks in the computer language COBOL.

After the technology bubble burst in 2000 and many of the software jobs went overseas, I changed careers and became the music teacher for a newly created DeKalb County charter school.  I have remained at the school for the last seven years teaching music, typing, business education, and computer repair.

One of the highlights of my years in college was the time I spent working in the school library.  No one thought that someone as loud and boisterous as I am would last one week in a library, but I ended up thriving there.  My computer experience allowed me to help bring the library into the computer age, maintaining the new PCs that functioned as the replacement for the card catalog and periodical search, writing computer programs to facilitate gift book integration into the library, and introducing the word processor to replace the typewriter that they were still using.  At that time, another older student worker who acted as my mentor in the library also introduced me to the joy of reading.  The librarians offered to assist me in continuing my education with a Masters in Library Science, but I felt my time in school was over and the lure of a big money computer job called.

At the time I did not realize that my student library work would be the best job I ever had.  The orderliness, the books and periodicals, along with the integration of technology in the mix was a hard "high" to match in the business world and I have spent the years since college graduation trying to get that library "fix" again.  After the technology bubble burst of 2000 I stumbled into the world of education as a music teacher but quickly expanded my role into the technology world, mirroring my time in the college library.  Although I still teach piano and chorus (but do not ask me to sing anything), I additionally teach technology education classes.

I have been able to utilize my organizational and planning skills by being the primary student activities person at my school.  It all started when the principal asked me to organize a Field Day my first year teaching to get me more integrated into the school, as I spent most of my time as the sole occupant of the 2nd floor where I taught music and computers.  From that I realized how hard the students of the charter school where I teach work and the long hours they put in.  I realized that they needed to have more fun activities spread throughout the year and began arranging dances, water balloon fights, movie and video special events, field day activities, and the school talent show.  I try wherever I can to collaborate with classroom teachers to help enhance their classroom parties and rewards, and work with the teachers to get them involved in talent show acts.

I am looking forward to moving into a media center where I can combine my love of reading and technology to enhance student and teacher experiences.  I am hoping that I will still get to utilize my musical skills on the piano and guitar, along with my events planning experience, to enrich everyone's time at school.