I graduated from Cornell College in Mt Vernon, IA, majoring in psychology with a minor in mathematics. Before moving to Colorado in 1998, I worked as a teacher assistant at a residential treatment center, helping teach numerous subjects across a wide variety of grade and academic levels.
I moved to Colorado to enjoy the mountains and activities available here, especially skiing (and, somewhat recently, snowboarding as well); also, to escape the Midwest’s bitter winters and hot & humid summers. I really love tennis – I help coach and instruct kids during the summer. I don’t consider myself a particularly “risky” person, but I’ve done a variety of activities that could cause significant harm, yet fortunately I’ve not broken a bone or had a major injury: motorcycling, scuba diving (I’ve been a volunteer diver at the Downtown Aquarium for more than 10 years), rafting, snowmobiling, flag football, climbing several 14ers, and I’ve even tried skydiving.
I spent about 15 years as a member representative at a credit union before deciding I wanted to get back in the education field. I was a para-educator at Thornton High School for a few years, then went through the process to get my teaching certification via alternative licensing. I’ve most recently spent 2 years teaching Algebra and Geometry for Weld County RE-1. I’m excited to be joining the GVA Community and getting to know the staff and students!