When you find something that doesn’t just touch your soul, but defines it, you’ve found what you are meant to do. For me, that soul-defining thing is being an educator. For 26 years I have served in various educational fields, and in January 2020, I graduated and became a licensed K-8 teacher.My journey started with coaching YMCA baseball right after graduating 8th grade and has included myriad sports from ages 2-18, both boys and girls. This includes a season when I was coaching a boys lacrosse team and a girls lacrosse team in different states in the same season on the same day. It also includes a state football championship at Omaha Central High School.In the classroom, I rely upon my time as a summer camp counselor and as a summer camp director. Lessons are highly engaging and, hopefully, unforgettable. My two biggest inspirations are Maria Montessori (who taught that every child can learn) and Fred Rogers (who taught that each of us is special just the way we are). Those lessons are part of my identity. Some of my memorable lessons include bringing in puppets to teach math and language arts, developing a series of writers workshops to inspire a passion for writing and storytelling, and using Hot Wheels cars to teach just about anything.Outside of education, I have experience as a professional journalist and newspaper editor as well as an extensive background in customer service. I also have a strong background in public speaking. These experiences help me better communicate to and serve all stakeholders in education from students to parents to administrators, colleagues, and supporters like boosters and donors.Beyond my own classroom, I am passionate about collaboration. I am constantly building and rebuilding my professional learning network. Utilizing these relationships to make learning experiences more impactful is a major passion of mine. I have even traveled to South Dakota and California on my own dime to collaborate with like-minded educators at conferences and EdCamps. Locally, I co-organized the first Montessori EdCamp.In June 2024, I began my graduate studies program to become a K-12 school counselor.