Q: Where did you attend elementary and secondary school? Where did you attend college and why?
A: I grew up in both Connecticut and Iowa, so up until 5th grade I went to school in Southbury, Connecticut. When my family moved to Iowa in 5th grade, I attended Beaver Creek Elementary School in Johnston, then eventually graduated from the high school there. After high school, I went to UNI because I wanted to become an English teacher. I liked UNI because of the size of the campus and the amount of opportunities to gain experience in the classroom before graduating.
Q: When and where did you start teaching?
A: I started teaching in 2016 at Muscatine High School. I taught there for five years before moving back to the Des Moines area in 2021, when I started teaching at Southeast Polk.
Q: What classes do you currently teach at Southeast Polk?
A: Currently, I teach Composition and Media Literacy, Advanced Composition I and II, Contemporary Literature. I am also the advisor for the Rampage.
Q: What is your favorite animal and why?
A: My favorite animal is for sure the giraffe. It seems like no animal has any right to be so tall, let alone have most of that height come from its neck. Doesn’t make sense. But it’s intriguing nonetheless.
Q: If you could only teach one class at SEP, what would it be?
A: I think I would continue teaching Advanced Composition. I really enjoy writing (and writing about writing), so it’s cool to see some of my interests reflected in the curriculum. Outside of the English department, I’d like to teach ceramics. My students wouldn’t learn anything, but I’d get to make pottery, which would be cool.
