I was born and raised  outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  I graduated high school from Lakeville Senior High in 2003, and ventured off to MN State University Moorhead where I earned a Bachelors of Science in Social Studies Education.  In 2008, I started my teaching career in Marshall, Alaska.  In 2011, I graduated with a Masters of Science as a Special Education Strategist, specializing in working with students that have learning disabilities, emotional-behavioral disorders, and those with developmental and cognitive delays.  Moving back to Minnesota in 2013, I continued to teach transition aged students, with an emphasis in life skills and employment.  In 2015, I obtained a specialized licensure in Work-Based Learning from Bethel College in St. Paul, MN.  I moved to Idaho in June 2019 and married my husband, a Vale native.  We currently reside in Fruitland, ID with our five kids.