I grew up in St. Paul public schools and graduated from St. Paul Central High School. My interests as an adolescent were theater music, and art history. I worked as an assistant stage manager at Penumbra Theater and began a life-long awareness of race, identity, and privilege.

Later, when I attended Minnneapolis Community College, Pikes Peak Community College, and transferred to Colorado College my interests in science, politics, economics, history, foreign language, and cultural studies developed into a Russian-Eurasian Studies BA. Following this, I completed my 5-12 grade teaching license in Social Studies, and my Master of Arts in Teaching in 2008 at Hamline University.  Since 2002 I have taught in Minneapolis and St. Paul schools.  

My partner, our daughter, and our dogs and cats live in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis. I am also a visual artist and a vocal performer.  I love keeping family, art, history, and activism balanced in my life, and finding lots of ways to bring those interests into my classroom.