About Me

Education from an early age

I have been passionate about education since I was eight years old and decided to create a neighborhood library with my personal books. I created a whole system that included a card catalog. Unfortunately, no neighborhood kids were interested, but I did learn that I was destined to be an educator.

I began tutoring elementary school students while I was still in high school. I went on to coach youth basketball for 10 years. I found my true calling for training when I joined Aquia Harbour Volunteer Rescue Squad (AHVRS) in 2002. I contemplated becoming a nurse during those early years but quickly learned that I was drawn to the shifts where there was an EMT or a driver in training. I wanted to train. I joined the training committee and helped new EMTs to reach their potential. I became the elected Onboarding Specialist where I recruited and retained new members who would eventually go on to become EMTs and Emergency Vehicle Operators. I am now in the process of taking my experience and moving some of the onboarding training to an eLearning module.

My own education

During my experience with AHVRS, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to obtain my BA in English and my Master of Teaching. I spent the next 12 years as an Elementary School Teacher in three different counties around Virginia. During my tenure as a teacher, I achieved a 90% or greater pass rate for all of my students in reading every year. I also was the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) lead for my school. I led the team of seven faculty from grades K-5 to align instruction and close learning gaps across grade levels.

One of my most passionately pursued projects was creating and leading The Green Team after I was appointed the Sustainability Coordinator. I led a team of four faculty members to guide a team of 70 student members to create sustainable initiatives within our school. We were able to double our recycling output and reduce overall energy usage.