I have been in education roles since 2004. My first student focused job was working in an after school program called Police Activities League. I was able to work with socio-economically disadvantaged students after school providing them homework support, meals, activity and a safe place to be until 6pm. This ignited my passion for providing children with learning experiences and opportunities.
I went on to work for a wonderful Cooperative Community Charter School in San Diego as the Director of Classified Instructional Staff. There, I supported our Special Education Program and Extended Day Program employees using teaching methods focused on experiential learning and social emotional skills. This school was highly sought after and our school board decided to pursue opening an additional school site.
I immediately jumped at the opportunity to develop a K-8 Constructivist based charter school in a socio-economically disadvantaged suburb of San Diego, Barrio Logan. This was another entrepreneur experience and starting a new school was hard work. As the Operations/Business Director, I was driven to provide these unique learning experiences to a more diverse group of students who would otherwise not have had this option. Our school vision focused on the whole child and because it was a public charter, I had to get creative around finding funding. My own two children, Ayden and Niyol, were a part of this school until we moved back home to Bend, OR in 2016 after being stationed in San Diego for 10 years while my husband served the US Navy.
In Bend, I started as the School to Career College and Career Readiness Coordinator at Marshall High School and later became the interim School Counselor. The following year and the first year of BLPSD pilot program I was offered the Graduation Coach position. Through the transition of Marshall to Bend Tech Academy I was afforded the opportunity to teach part time at Bend High and BTA as their Business Teacher. For the following two years I was the BSHS CTE coordinator and teaching classes as needed to continue to build the CTE program. In 2021, Bend opened a new high school, Caldera High and I was offered a full-time Business CTE teaching position as a founding teacher.
Building Caldera High School's Business program from the ground up has been the ultimate dream! We hit the ground running and opened a student based enterprise selling drinks and merchandise and named the business the "Pack Shack". In year two of operation students developed a student based enterprise manual and won gold certification through DECA as well as receiving the small business award through Bend Chamber of Commerce. Students have continued to improve their store and re-certify it annually.