From a young age, I aspired to follow a career path that would allow me to learn and grow through helping others. Little did I know each year I would fall in love with a classroom full of tiny humans that would consistently shape my mindset and grow my heart. As an eager-to-learn first grader, I had a teacher that expanded my love for learning with her exciting lessons and hands-on activities. As a shy and timid sixth grader, I had a teacher that awakened my love for books, helped me discover my passion for writing and continuously supported my dreams. Throughout the years, these amazing women built the path that led me towards my love for not only education, but for myself. To this day, they continue to support my aspirations and contagious love for learning.

It’s easy to say that I have had incredible educators to thank for instilling my matched desire for teaching. At an early age, I took an interest in working with students with special needs, which truly enhanced my eagerness to become an educator. I then went on to study at the University of South Carolina where I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. While in college, I also had the opportunity to attend both the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre and neighboring schools in Italy where I studied and implemented the Reggio Emilia approach to education. This experience helped me gain a stronger appreciation for hands-on learning and allowed me to invent ways to integrate project-based activities into my classroom.

After graduation, I went on to teach on a military installation right outside of Washington, D.C., where I taught both kindergarten and first grade. Throughout this experience I had the ability to foster a STEAM-based curriculum that guided student inquiry, encouraged creative thinking, and promoted effective collaboration. Teaching at a school that welcomes students with exceptional needs, I worked with many children that suffer from PTSD and health-related traumas. This experience really pulled at my heart strings and guided me to become a mentor to many of my previous students throughout the years. This also pushed me to create a classroom environment that dedicated time for my students to practice their emotional regulation and executive functioning skills. By doing so, my students built a supportive and welcoming community amongst each other, which filled our classroom with smiles and love.  As an educator, it is my goal each year to create an environment where my students can feel confident in their learning, become outstanding citizens in their community and to always be proud of their dreams.

I am so grateful to be part of the Day Prep community since 2020, serving students from junior kindergarten to grade 8. Here’s to another magical year of learning and growing together!