I received my BA in English from Monmouth University in 2007, and completed my Masters in Teaching--also at Monmouth--in 2009. Before taking on my first teaching job in 2011, I took a year off to travel and to work as an ocean lifeguard in Australia, looking at it as a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up!

After teaching high school English from 2011-2015, I decided to explore a role in outdoor education, working for REI Co-op for five years. While the job took me to some amazing places and helped me to further refine my teaching craft, I began to really miss the intellectual interactions and the bonds that I had formed with my students in the classroom. Seeing as I had carved out a living venturing into unpredictable terrain while exploring big mountains, I saw the uncertainty and rebuilding that surrounded much of education during COVID as an opportunity to get back into the classroom--however that looked--and hopefully be a positive force for students.

In October 2020 I took on a maternity leave position at Randolph High School before finally settling into my role at Summit in April 2021. While my position at the end of last year was to fill in for a teacher who was on maternity leave, I am honored to now be a full-time teacher for my third full year here at Summit.

I have been a lifeguard on Long Beach Island since 2006, and last summer I took over the role as Director for the Lifeguard in Training program for the Ship Bottom Beach Patrol, where 10-15 year olds learn the skills necessary to be safe in the ocean and to hopefully become a lifeguard once they are eligible. My roles as a lifeguard have always included some form of training and education, as I have been a training officer as well as a supervisor of lifeguards.

Outside of the classroom, my passions include mountain climbing, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and cycling. I have even taken over the role of advisor for the Ski and Snowboard Club here, so please reach out for any information surrounding the trips we have planned for this winter!

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you, and I can promise to do my best to create a fun, meaningful, and challenging environment each and every day that you walk into our classroom.