About

Mrs. Westerhausen has been an LTS QC Patriot since 2018. Currently, she is teaching the JH VEX-IQ Robotics, the Primary Grades Computer and the Legacy Gifted Program at the QC Campus (Go, Patriots!).

With a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, Masters degree in School Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Education with Math as area of concentration in the Philippines, she has been an educator for almost 30 years. She has also taken tech-cert programs on Database Admin & Devt. Her education certification areas include Middle School Math Education, Gifted Education, and Administration.

Recently, she has co-written articles on the success of Project AMP (App Maker Pro), a Mobile App Development Program through ASU's PRIME CENTER, being involved in the project for 5 years. 

On the side, she has been a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and NASA Heliophysics Education Ambassador for Arizona, as well as WWT or WorldWideTelescope (Harvard-based program) Ambassador for the Southwest area. As such, she coordinates and facilitates workshops at many Astronomy events in schools and communities. She also founded the Astronomy Club @ Eastmark (ACE) and runs monthly/quarterly astronomy events with the community.

Mari  has been part of the AZ Educational Technology Committee. She has also part-taken in reviewing National Geographic JASON Project Curriculum for both Tectonic Fury & Terminal Velocity courses. She was an online facilitator for the AZ Teach 21 Course with ASSET-IDEAL based in ASU. In the past, she had presented at major national and local professional conferences: NSTA, AATM & NCTM, AAGT, and AzTEA, among others.

She loves spending time with her wonderful family. Together they like to go on road trips, hiking, biking, camping, and stargazing.