I grew up in a family of teachers. From a young age, I knew I wanted to work in the educational system. It really started when I was old enough to understand that my god brother, who has Down Syndrome, was different from me but the same in so many ways. In college I got to work with more people like him as a soccer "tutor" and I knew special education was my next path. Over the years I came to believe that every student deserves a robust education that will teach them how to be important members of their communities, no matter their ability.

As I studied Psychology at WWU, I focused mostly on the child development courses so I could learn as much as possible about how to best support and teach children. This was the best way I could prepare myself for someday getting a teaching credential. Once I graduated, I moved back to California to pursue my degree as an Educational Specialist at CSU Northridge.

While in CA, I worked as an Education Specialist at a full inclusion elementary and middle school where I co-taught, co-assessed, and co-planned with general education teachers to support our students. I was mostly co-teaching in math and ELA classes while simultaneously assessing students for IEPs.

Eventually, I moved back to Seattle and worked at a high school as a Study Skills teacher where I supported students in small group classes. I spent my days teaching strategies for focus, materials organization, time and calendar management, studying, note-taking, planning, self-advocacy, and communication with teachers. I also built our classes and routine around Social Emotional Learning strategies to ensure that my students felt safe and cared for in my classroom. At this school, I had many opportunities to interact with and teach kids in situations outside of the classroom. Some of these included international trips, camping and backpacking, rock climbing clubs and hiking.