Hello! I am so excited for another year at Highland Lakes! This is my seventh year teaching in the Deer Valley Unified School District. Before that, I also worked as a DVUSD substitute teacher, and attended Deer Valley schools for elementary and middle school.

I got my start in education back in 2001, teaching first grade in Flagstaff, Arizona. After that, my family and I embarked upon a grand adventure overseas that lasted nearly ten years! During that time, I was able to participate in many life-enriching activities, including non-traditional teaching opportunities. It was also during our time overseas that I first dipped my toe into writing.

Along with returning to traditional teaching, I am also an author. I am ecstatic to say that I have 3 novels that have been released by Revell Books, with two more that are slated to release in 2024 and 2025 respectively. I also freelance and contribute to several magazines, both local and national, as well as write for a popular parenting website. 

I cannot express enough how happy I am to be teaching 7th grade ELA again this year, plus adding Advanced 7th Grade ELA and a little Public Speaking as well! Words are my passion, and helping kids discover a joy for writing and reading that they may not have known existed is a dream come true for me.

When I'm not teaching or writing, I'm hanging out with my family - my wonderful husband and our three kiddos (a freshman at NAU, a junior at Deer Valley High School, and a 7th grader right here at HLS!) - and usually drinking coffee. There's always coffee.

I anticipate a wonderful year together!