I spent the first portion of my life in the military - the United States Air Force, for many years in the enlisted military Chaplain Corps education division at some crazy locations with combat troops in war zones & humanitarian locations like the 1994 Haitian refugee camp photo above on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). I remember making soccer balls by duct-taping the bubble wrap together from all the packing materials in the shipping containers to engage kids in play before we would teach them reading skills...mainly sight words, comprehension and fluency reading skills, all while working and talking through their trauma and grief (Many lost their parents who drowned at sea trying to escape to America on inadequate rafts and boats). When I retired, I went back into public education as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Special Education teacher before becoming a Dean of Students. Now in my current position as an Assistant Principal, I ensure students are learning and becoming proficient in reading and math while achieving high academic performance in developing a deeper understanding of diverse cultures and building interactions with our global world. About two years ago I started working on my doctorate degree and looking forward to graduation and the next stage of my life in transformative leadership with this amazing degree.