The Artist

While I grew up in the Mon Valley, I studied Hispanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated in 2007. I went on to complete a Master of Arts in Foreign Language Education at West Virginia University and graduated in 2009.

When local school districts closed their doors in March of 2020, I somehow found the time to pick up my colored pencils again after my students and I figured out how to navigate virtual learning. During the fall of 2021, I started taking art courses at Cal U to simply have fun. While I’m currently working towards completing a B.F.A, I’d love to go back to school to complete an M.F.A. someday. Spending my days creating artwork has been a dream of mine since I was young. 

I currently teach high school students at Elizabeth Forward School District. Not only do I teach Spanish, but I also teach Entertainment Technology. I teach courses such Evolution of Games, Game Design, Storytelling, GameMaker Programming, and Gaming Internship. (Yes, I actually go to work and play games like Monopoly ALL DAY. Although, Risk is my favorite board game.)

I’m a certified Zulama Educator through Carnegie Learning and I’m also certified to teach English, English as a Second Language (ESL), and art.

Something interesting about my family is that my great grandmother worked as a maid as a child at Hohenwerfen Castle with her mother (my great great grandmother) before immigrating to America. This castle is shown in the movie the “Sound of Music”. While the castle is located in present-day Austria, my great grandparents were Bohemian.

I also love to read. The most books I’ve ever read was in 2015 when I read a total of 46 books. A few of my favorite authors are Julia Alvarez, Janet Evanovich, George R.R. Martin, and Oliver Pötzsch. 

Feel free to reach out to me. I'd love to get to know you too!