This is my 15th year teaching math and 11th year as an instructional leader at the Josiah Quincy Upper School.

After majoring in systems engineering and working as a consultant for almost four years, I realized that education-related volunteer work (teaching ESL to adult immigrants, leading a Girl Scout troop, and tutoring) fulfilled me more than my actual job, so I decided to become a high school math teacher. I began teaching at JQUS in 2008. I started leading in small ways (e.g., coaching running club and debate), took on larger roles such as coordinating after-school programs or mentoring student teachers, and then moved into teacher leadership (Grade Team Leader, then IB Coordinator). As a teacher-leader, I’ve explored many facets of the school community and gained a profound appreciation for how all the different parts of our school work together in support of our “IB for All” mission.

Math can be elegant and interesting, or as Cady Heron said in the movie Mean Girls, “it’s the same in every country.” I disliked math when I started high school–feeling confused in class, struggling on homework, and staring blankly at tests made me think I could never be good at math. Luckily, patient teachers and a tutor helped me study more effectively, get organized, and work through problems without rushing. Over time, I grew to like math and eventually its application to engineering.

My liking of the subject matter has since turned to a love for helping my students succeed through it, and I look forward to continuing to do so in the JQUS community. I am overjoyed to work alongside many of my former math students and to celebrate a former math student becoming a principal in BPS!

In my spare time, I love to hang out with my husband and children, cook, run, read, and do jigsaw puzzles.

My favorite holiday is March 14.