"Choose a career you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." – Confucius
Recent Experience: Director of Innovation and Technology | IT/EdTech Consultant
Inspired by my mother, my career began as a mathematics teacher, proudly serving as a second-generation educator. From a young age, my passions centered around mathematics and technology, and that love for both mathematics and technology carried into my career, bringing passion and excitement to my work each and every day. Driven by these passions, I found new and innovative ways to reach and engage my students, including incorporating technology into my mathematics classroom. This was recognized by my peers and supervisors and earned me the role of Tech Specialist and Facilitator, shifting my career to now serving and supporting faculty and staff with their own integration and use of technology. Over the years, that passion and excitement, especially for technology integration, continued to grow leading me to roles as a Director of Innovation and Technology, and then eventually as an IT/EdTech Consultant, supporting organizations with their own integration of technology. Despite transitioning into IT support and administrative roles, I have not abandoned my roots as an educator. My diverse background has developed my adaptability and versatility to effectively serve and support various roles, teams and organizations.
I like to make, create, and tinker using many different mediums. I am always seeking ways to innovate and re-imagine things around me. I enjoy being hands-on, testing, experimenting, and understanding how things work, from their individual components, to a high-level / whole-system view and understanding. I value collaborative environments, love to nurture growth mindsets, and encourage effective and open communication. In the classroom, I took pride in thinking outside the box to engage and motivate students through gamification, GBL, PBL, and design thinking. As an IT professional, I enjoy collaborating with organizations and other professionals to find, test, and implement creative solutions that meet their needs and solve their problems, while fitting nicely into their overall mission, vision, and current IT infrastructure.
Staying stagnant and settling for the status quo goes against my grain. I am continuously searching for ways to grow as a person and professional. The educator in me also loves to share and inspire others to also push the status quo, think outside the box, and try something new and different. As a result, I lead professional development and training events, offer consulting services, and participate in public speaking events.