From a young age, I admired the great educators I was surrounded by who inspired wonder in me. I planned to become a teacher. And then ... I became fascinated by the tech innovation blooming around me and took a small detour with a first career in finance & advanced technologies. Even in my corporate life, I would take any chance I could to step back into a classroom -- starting as a volunteer with Junior Achievement, then as a science and art docent in my daughters' classrooms. Realizing it was not too late to pursue my first dream, I received my Masters in Teaching from Santa Clara University in 2016. I have since trained with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project , SVMI (Silicon Valley Math Initiative) and the YouCubed maths program, the Project-Based Science Institute from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Responsive Classroom. I grew up in San Mateo and now live in Belmont with my husband, Jonathan, my daughters Sophia (16) and Genevieve (13), and our dog, Happy. If I'm not collaborating with our tight-knit 6th grade team, or working with our awesome students, you'll probably find me out hiking with my family or curled up reading a good book.