I grew up part on the Jersey Shore and part in the woods of the Pocono Mountains. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. When I went to college at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore (then Loyola College of Maryland), I quickly realized through my first service-learning experience, that I was not in fact meant to spend the rest of my life in a classroom with small children. With some trial and error I fell in love with my English courses and literature, and declared an English major and a Writing minor, with absolutely no clue what I was going to do with my degree. I found homes in both the Communications and Public Relations Office at Loyola as a work study and at the university yearbook as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Evergreen Annual. This led me to believe I should enter the world of editing or publishing, but that didn't seem quite right either.

When it was time to graduate I was not quite ready to go, so I decided to apply for an Admissions Counselor position that opened at Loyola that spring. I figured this would give me stable employment at a place I loved while I try to figure out "what I want to be when I grow up." Instead, it opened up my eyes to the behind-the-scenes world that happens on college campuses. I fell in love with higher education and had no intention of leaving. I found this sort of full-circle journey into education pretty ironic!

Fast forward through promotions and a move to Delaware and a different university, I realized my impact on students in college could be so much greater outside of the Admissions Office, where we have to let them go after recruitment is over. I decided to pursue opportunities in the academic advisement side of higher education and took an entry-level position in the Honors Program Office at the University of Delaware. I immediately realized this what I was supposed to do.

Currently I am an Academic Advisor to undergraduate students in the Kinesiology and Applied Physiology Department at the University of Delaware. I work with 300+ students helping them to schedule appropriate courses, find resources or strategies when they are struggling academically or personally, and guide them towards career or graduate school opportunities. It has been extremely fulfilling work that I find combines my strong skills in inter-personal relationship building and administrative detail-oriented work.

Throughout my career I have always been a part of bringing new technology and processes to my office. Although I never thought of myself as savvy in technology, I consistently seemed to grasp new programs quickly and had the ability to create efficiencies and teach others how to interact with them. When I started to explore Masters Degree programs at the University of Delaware to continue my education, the Educational Technology M.Ed. seemed like a great fit. I have learned so much from my courses, have been able to brainstorm and pursue projects in a test environment (my job), and strengthen my problem-solving skills from building websites to writing code. This program has opened my eyes to so many more professional possibilities for myself, and I'm excited to see where it takes me.

Outside of work and school, I am married to a University of Delaware Alum of Mechanical Engineering, who is a Division Manager at a large steel mill in Chester County, PA. We live in Hockessin, DE with our two sons Owen and Everett. I am a practicing yogi for 5 years now, who finds it to be not only meditative and relaxing, but medicinal at times as well. Due to the area we live in and our older son's proclivity to the outdoors, we are often found exploring parks and nature centers around DE and PA. In the little spare time that I seem to get now-a-days I enjoy cooking, trying new foods or restaurants, and traveling.

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