I am a graduate of the University of Michigan, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Brain Behavior & Cognitive Science and Latin American & Caribbean Studies. During my undergraduate years I studied Spanish and Portuguese, as well as the cognitive mechanisms by which we learn languages such as Spanish and Portuguese. I was trained as a total immersion language instructor by the Ann Arbor Language Partnership and taught Communicative Spanish classes in the Ann Arbor Public School System for two years. I left Michigan for Nicaragua to work with a local nonprofit where I advocated for improved access to education in disenfranchised communities, managed an international volunteer program, and taught English as a Foreign Language to middle and high school students. I believe that the role of Spanish as an essential communicative and cultural tool should not be lost in classroom instruction, especially in a society where Spanish plays an ever more important role in our daily lives. Central to my personal philosophy is that learning languages should be fun, and I thoroughly enjoy making language personally relevant and interesting for my students. In my spare time in enjoy biking, running, hiking, camping and cookingmost of which I can do with my dog Calala.

Cooking, cycling, hiking and camping