When I was little, I would line up all my stuffed animals and play school in my bedroom, so you could say I’ve been a teacher all my life. I come from an education family; my mom was a teacher, my brother is a teacher, my aunts were teachers, my cousins are teachers, and eventually, I ended up marrying an educator. Education is an important part of who I am and in my 20+ years of teaching, I have had all kinds of opportunities to work with students at many grade levels. When I came to LASD in 2002, I was hired as a Kindergarten teacher at Almond School. During my years at Almond, I taught sixth grade, fifth grade and eventually, I was the STEM Teacher. In 2016, I was named Almond School’s Teacher of the Year. LASD has afforded me the opportunities to grow as an educator through innovative practices and programs. My motivation to move into education administration came as a result of my desire to influence the learning of more students across the District. I currently serve as a Coordinator in the Curriculum and Instruction Office and although I am not in front of students every day, I support students through curriculum development. I also work beside teachers in professional development and collaboration, and I support all educators at the school sites. I am a proud graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and Chapman University. I am constantly seeking out new opportunities to expand my knowledge of teaching and learning. I am an avid reader and when I am not at work, you can find me at baseball games, in the kitchen cooking all types of cuisine, traveling with my husband, and playing with my cats.