Professional Background

I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, and I am so excited to be at Goddard. I grew up in the area and graduated from Conway Springs High School before attending Pittsburg State University for a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education Unified, K-6 General/Special Education with a minor in Dance. During my time in Pittsburg, I worked as a dyslexia interventionist in the Center for Reading, where I found my love for teaching students to read. I graduated in May of 2023 and began working in USD 265 the following school year. While my undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education, my first job was at Goddard Middle School, where I primarily taught IS Reading and worked as a case manager for the first three years of my career. While at GMS, I also brought back the Theatre Program, which I still direct after school. During those first three years, I continued my education and earned my Master's in Special Education, Master's in Educational Psychology, and Master's in Literacy and Dyslexia. I am also a Certified Structured Literacy & Dyslexia Specialist through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction. I like to consider myself a lifelong learner, and I am working towards my Academic Language Therapy certification through the Academic Language Therapy Association, which I plan to finish in Summer 2027. I also began my Doctorate in Special Education in Fall of 2025, which I hope to complete in the Spring of 2029!