Where did you grow up?

Glendale, AZ 🌵🌵🌵

What is your favorite food?

Sushi, but I love most everything!

What is your least favorite food?

Anything that tastes like vinegar…

What is something unique or surprising about you?

Hmm…. I didn’t get a cell phone until I was 20 years old! And I don’t have pierced ears. Also I love a huge variety of music – bollywood, Irish punk, 1990s Swedish bands, indigenous Native American music, etc.

What is your favorite subject to teach?

Art and writing

Who was your favorite teacher and why?

My mom – I was never homeschooled, but my mom would always have summer school with my siblings and me over the summers. We would learn everything through play, art, mini “field trips,” and adventures. She was so creative. For example, one summer we learned about different occupations. My mom saved up old cereal boxes and food containers to create our own grocery store in the living room. Another summer we learned about different countries. We created meals together and decorated the house to represent that country! She taught me everything I love about teaching. We would read classic books together and then create our own move theater to “premier” the movie version of the book. She taught me that learning is the greatest adventure there is.

Why did you choose to be a teacher?

Again my mom – I wanted to be just like her when I was little. I wanted to study teaching because my mom had studied teaching. Actually I remember telling her that when I was in kindergarten! As I matured, I realized that teaching was the best way for me to serve and give to the world. I love showing children the joy and excitement that’s found in everyday life.

What would you like your students to remember this year?

How much I love them.