I grew up in a small town called Kingsville. It is located in Ashtabula County (up by Lake Erie). I lived there with my mom and my dad and my older brothers and sisters. When I was little, I took lots of classes (not all at the same time) like ballet, gymnastics, swimming, horse back riding, piano, violin, and clarinet. When I was in high school, my parents adopted a little girl. Her name is Risa and she is now 9 years old.

I went to college at Mount Vernon Nazarene College. I went there because they have a great education department for teachers. I always wanted to be a teacher because my mother was a pre-school teacher and I loved being with children. I did many things in college. I was in the Wind Ensemble, in the drama club, involved in ministry organizations, worked as a peer mentor, a supplemental instructor, a media assistant, and a computer lab assistant. In college I met my husband, Scott and we got married after my second year at MVNC.

After I graduated from MVNC in 1999, I applied to many different school districts in Ohio. I had several interviews at different places, but I was fortunate enough to be hired by Buckeye Valley West. My husband and I moved from Mount Vernon to Delaware because of my new job. During the school year 1999-2000, I taught first grade in the morning and kindergarten in the afternoon. In the 2000-2001 school year, I taught first grade in the morning and second grade in the afternoon. This school year, I am excited to be teaching first grade all year.