My work as a journalism educator focuses on making students into critical consumers of media messages around them and sophisticated and intentional producers of their own media messages. Beginning as a high school and university student, I was captivated by photography and photojournalism. Creating photographs for newspapers became a natural way to channel that energy.However, a move to a new hometown opened a new door: the chance to teach journalism. For 12 years, I taught high school journalism at a wonderful all-girls college-prep high school, St. Teresa's Academy. The students engaged with creating meaningful, beautiful and content-rich work. As a new teacher, I certainly learned as much as I taught.At the University of Kansas, I teach all levels and types of journalism. I am comfortable in any classroom, from a 400+ student lecture hall for introductory journalism to small project-based classes focusing in technical skills. In 2014, I began work as executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. Through that non-profit, I encouraged fellow journalism educator and their students: celebrating the successes and advocating for their needs. The university classroom and campus provides a great new challenging environment. Since 2021 I have returned to freelancing, including as a columnist for the Kansas Reflector. My work has been featured in publications around the state and earned the top opinion writing prize in the Kansas Press Association's 2023 statewide contest. I also freelance as a photographer, especially shooting sports and news events.