I hope you have all enjoyed a fun-filled and exciting summer and are now looking forward to the upcoming school year! Our summer was filled with valuable family time and milestones for both of our daughters. Our youngest daughter, Anna, graduated from CalPoly with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and our oldest daughter Christina finished her first year of grad school a UCLA. The highlight was witnessing her say "yes" to the love of her life. The wedding on August 10 will be unforgettable since we were fortunate to have some of our family members and lifelong friends from my home country fly in for the event. California has been my second home since 1990 since I grew up in a small town near the Rhine River in Germany. I received a Bachelor's degree in English and Pedagogy and a Master's degree in the Science of English from the Friedrich-Wilhelm University of Bonn, Germany.

I have been teaching English in the CVUSD for the past twenty-six years and began my teaching career at Newbury Park High School and Colina Middle School. I then transferred to Sequoia Middle School teaching 7th grade English.

My husband Clay and I just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. He has been teaching in the CVUSD for the past forty-six years. We have enjoyed raising our two daughters, Christina and Anna, and I can't quite get used to the idea of being an "empty nester". We attend Calvary Community Church in Westlake and love spending our free time traveling, hiking, reading, and socializing with our family and friends.

I consider myself a life-long learner, and my goal for my students is to help each individual love the process of learning and to feel successful. Therefore, I am looking forward to getting to know your children and a productive new school year!