Biography

I am so excited to be joining  Ascent Academy in Lehi!  

I was born and raised in Southern California, but moved to Utah in 2004.  I miss being near the beaches, but enjoy the beauty of Utah too.

I have always loved teaching! I remember setting up a school table during the summers and teaching my younger brother his lessons.  He was a good sport about it all.  As I went through life, I found myself looking for ways or being asked to teach others: dance lessons, singing, summer activities, pre-school co-op lessons, gardening lessons, soccer skills, church lessons, and of course academics.  

My undergraduate degree is in Religious Studies from California State University, Fullerton.  I really enjoyed learning about the different religions, what they all have in common and what makes them different.  I hope that I can use this knowledge and experience to help others to be open minded toward other cultures and their beliefs.  

When the last of my five children entered first grade, I decided it was time to fulfill a personal learning goal of getting my master's degree.  I still really loved teaching, so I decided to pursue a Master's degree in elementary education  from Western Governors University, and obtain my Utah teaching license.  I have been teaching for four years now, and in that time I have taught grades 1-8, full-time and some part-time.  If you would like to hear that story some time, just ask.  I really love the upper elementary grades, and look forward to getting to know the 6th grade Huskies better.

Next to teaching, I absolutely love to spend my free time reading!  Each Fall my students think I am joking when I tell them how many books I read each summer, but I can't help myself!  There is something magical and relaxing about opening a book and engaging with the characters and storyline.  I hope that I can instill this love of reading to all of my students. If you can read, you can learn to do anything!

Besides learning to love reading, I hope that I inspire my students to come to class prepared, to work hard every day, to do their best work each time, and to remember to extend grace to themselves and everyone around them.  We all make mistakes.  For ourselves, we can dwell on them, or we can learn from them and try again.  For others, we can offer each other another chance, and support them along the way. Kindness matters!