Greetings! I have been teaching public school students for more than a decade here in west central Illinois. I trace my path into education back to my own high school teachers who were eager to both challenge and trust me to find ways to help other students. I attended Lake Land Community College before progressing to Eastern Illinois University. At Eastern, I majored in English while also matriculating through the secondary education program.

Since then, I've had the pleasure of working as a one-on-one aide in a kindergarten along with teaching computer science and graphic design, all in addition to my first passion of teaching English. 

In 2022 I completed the National Institute for School and System Leadership program hosted by the National Council on Education and the Economy. In 2023, I graduated from Western Illinois University with Master's of Science in Education, with a focus on educational leadership. In recent years, I have served as a scorer for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exams. In 2025, I co-presented professional development training for regional teachers on the I-Search method of research writing.