As a Colorado transplant, I grew up in a small farming town in Wisconsin.  I grew up dancing and training in classical ballet, which led me to earn my Bachelor’s of Arts in Dance and Movement Education with a K-12 teaching certificate from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.  I met my husband at a young age and his career in the military led us to Manhattan, Kansas.  That is where I earned my Masters of Science in adaptive to profound Special Education with a Graduate Certificate in Autism and an emphasis in secondary (transition) special education.  In Kansas is where I started my teaching career as a special education teacher at a middle school.  The military life then led us to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where I continued my career as a special education teacher at a middle school.  After a short year, military life moved us once again to Colorado Springs.  Here I started my career as a special education teacher for students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities at a middle school.  I spent five and a half years at the middle school level working with students with all disabilities before I switched to D11, where I moved to elementary education at Trailblazer Elementary School.  I am starting my fourth year at West Elementary School, focusing on inclusive practices and student abilities.  This is my 13th year teaching special education and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow from my students.  Outside of school, I enjoy hiking, the outdoors, dancing, and spending time with my friends and family.  I have two young girls and a dog named Zuzia.