As a  child I loved to watch nature shows and documentaries, dreaming of what it would be like to be a Wild Kratt or Steve Erwin. These and many more sparked my interest in the world of animals. When I got into middle school and high school, I began my interest in the environment I was in with Royal Rangers, always enjoying my camping and survival trips. After high school I was unsure on how to make my love for the outdoors a reality and a job and I went and got a Bacholor's degree in Math and then when and got a job with the railroad. Although this job did not directly work with the environment, I did learn a lot of valuable information about rules and regulations that are in place in an industry to protect the environment. 

After ten years at the railroad, I left to persue a carreer as a middle school teacher. I teach both math and science. I picked my love of the outdoors back up in the science class, completing many several day Professional Developement classes with the NC Forestry Service (Investigating Your Environment), the NC Forestry Association (Sustainable Forestry Teacher Experience), Project Learning Tree, and USDA (USDA Future Scientist Program). I am continuing these experiences and my knowlege and will even be going to Yellowstone in the Winter with the NC Natural Science Museum January of 2024.