In high school I was part of a peer-counseling program that provided peer mediation and academic tutoring to fellow students. I learned from those experiences that schools are so much more than where we go to learn academic content, for many of us they are also where we learn how to connect with others and engage with the world around us which makes them pretty powerful places. I have wanted to work in education ever since.

I was excited to join Deans for Impact because it is an organization filled with people that both recognize the importance of teaching to quality education and understand the complexity of preparing teachers to be effective for all students. It is an organization that doesn’t purport to have all the answers and instead looks to elevate the voices of diverse leaders who are doing the work.

I truly believe that education is far too important to leave to chance or anecdote and our guiding principles underscore that perfectly.

My favorite teacher was my education policy professor and subsequently my PhD advisor, Dr. Strunk. As an undergraduate she nurtured my passion for policy and pushed me well outside my comfort zone academically which landed me in a career that I absolutely love. I learned so much from her as a student and continue to benefit from her mentorship in my career.

The Culinerdy Cruzer. Their Brussels sprouts and hulk fries are the things that dreams are made of.