I recently moved to Maryland from California. I currently hold a single-subject teaching credential in Biological Sciences from the state of California, and am in the process of being approved for a Maryland state teaching credential. I have three years of experience teaching full time at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. While at Mater Dei, I taught Biology for three years and Marine Biology for two. During that time, I assisted the science department in updating the Biology and Marine Biology curriculums. This included implementing a new textbook, increasing our focus on technology, and incorporating more hands-on labs and experiments. I also assisted in creating an online database for the lesson plans and resources in order to support teacher collaboration. Mater Dei High School is an Apple Distinguished school, which required me to be very comfortable with using, teaching, and troubleshooting technology on regular basis.

Prior to teaching full time at Mater Dei High School, I worked as in informal educator at a field trip destination at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California. I learned how to engage students using hands-on activities and inquiry-based methods of teaching. I also taught students from Pre-K to College about marine science, as well as California history, during field trips ranging from one hour to three days.

My desire to encourage and support students in their learning needs has grown with my knowledge of pedagogy. The skills students acquire in these formative years will be transferred into their professional lives and beyond. It is my goal to not only nurture a love of the sciences, but also a passion for lifelong learning.