Fun Facts

I love to sing and perform in musicals around Austin. I won "The American Idol Experience" when I was at Disney World on my honeymoon. My undergraduate degree is in Theatre Arts.

I have a black Labradoodle named Apple that my husband and I rescued, and he has lived with us for a year now.

I love to make scrapbooks!

About Me

I love learning about all types of new subjects, and beginning in August 2013 I am going to graduate school at the University of Texas to begin a new field of study: Community and Regional Planning. I am very interested in the relationship between urban and community issues and the arts, and also protecting the history, culture, and livability of cities despite change. I want to make sure that people of all social and economic backgrounds have a place to live. My dream is to be a researcher and write books about planning issues and the arts in Austin, and be a guest lecturer at universities and events.

My sophomore year (2009) at St. Edward's University I worked as a Freshman Studies Intern, and I assisted students with their writing skills. In 2011 I volunteered with Victory austin">Tutoring in AISD and individually tutored various elementary school ESL students in all subjects, but specifically focused on Reading and English skills. I recently received the President's Volunteer Service Award for my austin">tutoring work! In the 2012-2013 school year I worked as a Teaching Artist for Creative Action and assisted students with their homework as a part of my class. Prior to being a Teaching Artist, I volunteered with Creative Action for 2 years and also helped students with their homework in classes.

Many times when students ask for help on a question, they know how to do it, they just need more confidence and encouragement. I have the students read the question out loud to me and then tell me what it means, and then try to figure it out. If they don't understand the concept, I help them with other examples. I make sure that I don't do the work for them and that I help guide them to the answer. In reading and spelling, I always encourage sounding out in order to get to the word or spelling, rather than just telling the answer. I always encourage them positively to increase their confidence!