I am so proud of my English degree from the University of Oregon. I graduated in 2005 with two children and a supportive husband in tow. As a nontraditional student every class, every discussion, every essay felt like a privilege and a joy. My passion was literature; course highlights included Advanced Shakespeare, 20th Century Literature, Confessional Poetry, Jewish Writers, and seminars on Gwendolyn Brooks and Thoreau. 

As my children grew, the question of what good thing would be worth my time and energy had only one answer-- teach. Texas A&M University-Kingsville had the rigorous and flexible Alternative Certification Program I needed to get into the classroom quickly. I taught 8th-grade English for three years and high school English for four years. This was an incredibly challenging experience that expanded my heart and my mind. The effort to love and serve my students the way they needed and deserved ignited my interest and investment into the larger English Language Arts and the pedagogical puzzle of trying to figure out how to ignite their passion, interest, and investment in the English Language Arts as well. I finished my Masters of Education in 2017.

I am so proud of my English degree from Arizona State University, which I completed in December 2024. My time at ASU was laser-focused on the needs of my future students. I took every course with rhetoric or composition in the title that I could. The goal was to qualify myself to be exactly what I've become-- an English Adjunct Professor. My passion is my students. At ASU, I built my skills and confidence as a writing teacher in order to help my students succeed and achieve their dreams.