As I enter my fifth year of teaching, I am happy to say that I have the best job in the world and I love every minute of my day. I have the opportunity to teach some of the brightest students in the Midwest and I am able to share my passion for learning with them. I was born in Rock Island, Illinois and grew up in Pekin, Illinois, a mid-size community in central Illinois. I graduated from Pekin Community High School in 2006 and attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois in the fall of 2007 as a Pre-Med biology major. After quickly realizing my passion was not in medicine but rather in teaching, I changed my major to Secondary Education with a concentration in History. I then transferred to the University of Southern Indiana after my freshman year of college and, although it definitely took some time, Evansville began to grow on me. I graduated magna cum laude in May of 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science Secondary Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in History with a minor in Sociology. Upon graduation, I began looking for teaching jobs and quickly realized that I wanted to stay in Evansville to begin my professional career and, in May of 2011, I was hired to teach in the social studies department of William Henry Harrison High School. While teaching, I pursued my Master of Science in Education degree in Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education at Arkansas State University and graduated in December of 2014. While attending college, I played softball for four years and was afforded the opportunity to play for one of the most competitive Division II softball programs in the country. In 2008, I was blessed by two national softball organizations in being named an All-American for my abilities on the field. I have been awarded several honors and awards for my on-field abilities but I believe that I am most proud of my off-field and academic honors. I have been awarded several academic honors and I was also voted the 2010 winner of the Integra Bank Screaming Eagle Pride Award by the USI Athletic Department. I could not have asked for a better college experience with softball and I am truly blessed and thankful for every opportunity that I have been afforded.
Teaching and Personal Life
When I was hired at Harrison High School, I was given the opportunity in my first year of teaching to teach psychology, sociology, and in Freshman Forum with Mr. Sean Lehman. I had several learning experiences in my first year, but I can easily say that I would not have survived my first year without the help of my wonderful students. I could not have asked for a better group of students to welcome me into the teaching profession. Along with teaching, I am the assistant coach for the Harrison Warrior softball team and volleyball teams. I have a wonderful group of girls who work hard everyday and make coming to practice something that I thoroughly enjoy. I am also the speech coach and serve as the coordinator for the Link Crew. If I am not around the halls or fields of Harrison High School, I can usually be found at the USI Athletic Department. In college, I was a statistician and intern with the Sports Information Department broadcasting commentary for softball games and working as a statistician for the volleyball, basketball, and softball teams. I continue that work today and love having the ability to remain close to the college athletics scene. I have one dog, Patches. He makes me smile everyday and I love coming home to see his lovely little face.