My Story
I never expected to become a teacher. School rarely sparked my curiosity, and it often felt like learning was simply about following directions. It wasn’t until I was working in my first career that things shifted. The station I worked at ran a lunchtime reading program, and the hour I spent each week helping a third-grader learn quickly became the best part of my job. That realization changed my entire path.
Since then, I’ve taught elementary school, built and led educational programs across the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia, founded a PreK–12 tutoring business, directed worldschooling and homeschool programs, and launched Lumos, a multi-age enrichment program in Zurich. My work blends the science of learning with hands-on experiences, place-based exploration, and joyful curiosity.
Today I’m based in San Diego, partnering with families and organizations to design fresh, purposeful, research-based learning experiences. Whether learning happens at the kitchen table, outdoors, or across the world, my goal is the same: to create learning that ignites wonder, confidence, and lifelong enthusiasm.
If you’re ready to reimagine what learning can look like, let’s talk.
Growing up, I would have laughed if you’d said I’d become a teacher.
School was just following directions—no one explained why we were learning anything, questions were treated as inconveniences, and although my grades were solid, a reservoir of curiosity stayed untouched and potential untapped.
I couldn’t wait to graduate and pursue work that actually mattered to me. The one class that allowed me to think outside-the-box and experiment was my Media Arts class in high school, so I majored in Media Studies and Production at Temple University. I minored in Business, and when I graduated, I dove into the world of television advertising.
Then a few lunch hours changed everything. Our station hosted a lunchtime reading program, and I filled in for a colleague who was tutoring a third-grader. Those sessions lit me up more than closing any deal. After a few weeks of substituting, I offered to take the slot permanently—and soon admitted the obvious: if the best hour of my day was teaching, maybe teaching should be my day.
I moved to California, earned my Master of Arts in Elementary Education, and launched a tutoring business that offered both one-on-one and small-group sessions. For seven years I watched customized instruction turn lightbulbs on for kids—and I wanted to do more of it. So a couple years in, I added classroom teaching to the mix. I began teaching fifth grade at a small independent school, guiding just sixteen students each year. Creative freedom was the norm, so each year I linked lessons to my students’ interests, rewrote projects around the cohort’s quirks and passions, and always focused on making learning interesting and desirable. I regularly turned abstract lessons into hands-on projects, real-world investigations, and presentations for authentic audiences. I built world-wide connections, linking my students with experts and collaborating with classes on every continent (even a scientist in Antarctica!). I broke down the four walls, and used global collaboration and place-based learning to make each lesson matter even more. I fell in love with the chance to foster lifelong curiosity and self-belief in kids.
Stepping into leadership
Alongside teaching, I took on program coordination and staff development: interviewing and hiring new teachers, running in-house professional-learning, and leading whole-school and global collaborations. During my tenure, I also handled social media outreach and information campaigns. I became the school’s go-to problem solver. When the pandemic hit, I planned, built, and launched our hybrid and virtual learning platform—then trained students, teachers, and parents so everyone could keep learning. Serving on academic committees and leading diverse projects taught me to build programs from the ground up, designing schedules, aligning budgets, mapping curricula, and coaching faculty so teams flourish.
My own curiosity and ambition kept pulling me outward. I founded Hatch Outdoors LLC, guiding kids on day hikes and overnights that blended physical challenge with reflection and stewardship. That experience opened the door to a new adventure: working through Hatch with a worldschooling family across 12 countries in Southeast Asia. For seven months, I designed and taught place-based units that wove reading, writing, and math into each locale. From there, I moved to Switzerland, where I launched and led Lumos, a multi-age enrichment program for homeschoolers near Zurich centered on peer-to-peer learning, collaborative projects, team challenges, and free play. I designed outcomes and curriculum, led the team, established systems, and organized community events. This path, together with the tutoring business I built, taught me how to move a vision from idea to launch and into programs families love.
Where I am today
Today I’m back in San Diego, partnering with families everywhere. Whether learning happens at the kitchen table or on the road, I design engaging, research-based lessons and craft joyful learning that sparks wonder and lasting enthusiasm. Because most of my own schooling fell flat, I do not settle for the status quo. I follow the science of learning to create fresh, purposeful programs and experiences, and I use student feedback and results to refine every plan.
Ready to take learning to the next level? Reach out and let’s explore how we can elevate your child’s educational journey together.
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