My passion for nature and animals led me to pursue a B.S. in Biology in college. I then spent time traveling around the U.S. to work with birds. My adventures included searching for birds on military bases in the Midwest and monitoring the impact of the BP Oil Spill on birds by the Gulf of Mexico. I gained experience teaching anatomy labs at Eastern Kentucky University as a grad student and then spent 6 years caring for birds of prey at the World Bird Sanctuary. My job gave me the opportunity to teach thousands of people about nature and conservation. I currently work as a full-time substitute teacher for elementary schools in the St. Louis area.

My experiences teaching and tutoring cover a broad range of ages, from kindergarten to college students to older adults. I enjoy helping others learn and sparking their enthusiasm. My teaching adapts to a variety of learning styles based on the student. Among my favorite subjects are zoology, ecology, reading, and geography. I also played competitive chess for over 15 years (2003 Class B U.S. Champion) and have given lessons to young kids and adults.
Among my favorite things to do for fun are sports with friends, adventures in nature, board games, and reading fantasy.