About Me

Please email me-send me questions, comments, suggestions, or just a "hello".

I have a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, where I majored in biology and minored in environmental studies and French. I spent one semester abroad in Cophenagen, Denmark through the DIS program. While I was there, I studied marine biology and ecology, international environmental politics, and Danish. While I was there I learned how truly interconnected everything and everyone on earth is.

After graduation, I worked for three years in Washington, DC where I worked for two different non-profit organizations on environmental issues. However, after I left the Midwest, I realized that I missed it, so I had to figure out how to move back. I also realized that working on federal policy issues was not for me...I wanted to work with kids on a daily basis. So, I went back to school to get my teaching certificate and I'm so glad I did because I love teaching!

I am currently working on my Master's of Science in Education at Northwestern University. My master's thesis, "Learning Science Through Inquiry: Motivation or Frustration?" helped me investigate the use of inquiry-based science instruction in my classroom in an effort to improve student learning and motivation. I did my research in my classroom at Wells High School, where I taught for three years before I came to MAS in the summer of 2006.

I grew up in Geneseo, a small town in western Illinois that is known for 4A football and not much else. Biology runs in my blood. My younger sister, Stephanie, is currently working on her master's in plant pathology at the University of Georgia in Athens. My husband, Tim, and I got married in 2004 and just purchased a house in the Archer Heights neighborhood (just south of LIttle Village) in the summer of 2006.

I love to travel and spent part of winter break 2005 in India to attend my friends' wedding. Radhika was my roommate in Washington, DC and her new husband is Akshay. The' wedding was in Delhi. Radhika's family was so generous and were such gracious hosts. I also visited Agra, Ranthambore National Park, and Jaipur. I've included some highlight photos. You can see them here.

During the summer of 2007, two of my friends and I went on a road trip to the southeastern United States where we experienced the natural beauty of the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina, the wonderful Low Country food of Georgia, and the heat and the beaches of South Carolina.

I encourage everyone to try to travel as much as possible to see what life is like in other places. You will learn so much by stepping out of your comfort zone and you will grow so much as an individual.

I also love to read and try to read for pleasure at least a little every day. It helps me relax and escape from my hectic life. Check out what I'm currently reading.