I was born in San Francisco and lived there for the first six years of my life. Afterwards, I moved to New York City where I attended grade and junior high schools. Of course my bi-coastal credentials would not be complete unless I traveled back to the west coast. I attended High School and college in Orange County. I earned my Bachelors of Arts degree in Social Ecology with an emphasis in Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California Irvine. While working towards my degree, I worked as a preschool teacher and interned as a K-1 teacher at a Montessori school.

After I graduated, I had a wonderful opportunity to move to Boston and work for Reebok as their employee communications coordinator. As much as I loved my job at Reebok, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life as a teacher. This is when I decided to move back "home" and attend graduate school.

Loyola Marymount University is where I earned my Masters degree in Elementary Education. While earning my degree I found the wonderful Hermosa Beach school district and substituted here for two years. I was very lucky to begin my teaching career in Hermosa Beach.

The 2004-2005 school year was my first year teaching. I love my job and I love working in this school district.

My philosophy of education comes from the African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child." Parental and community involvement are very important to the curriculum I use in my classroom. Also, Mrs. Smith (another fourth grade teacher) and I combine our classes for reading and math so that our students can receive the best personalized instruction in "small" groups.
During my free time, I enjoy running with my dog Izzy. I also love to cook, go to the beach, and spend time with my friends and family. Of course since I have spent half of my life on the east coast, I often go back to visit and truly enjoy the best that both coasts have to offer.