My career in the arts began long before I entered the classroom. For more than twelve years, I worked professionally in photography, with much of my work focused on commercial and editorial photography. Travel has also played an important role in my development as an artist. Having visited 29 countries, I developed a particular passion for travel photography and for the ways art can help us understand places and cultures beyond our own.

My path toward education began when I was 14 years old, when I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and met the founder of Sotwa Wilson Primary School in Tanzania. The experience left a lasting impression, and many years later, I had the opportunity to return. I brought with me a year’s worth of donated art supplies and helped establish an art department at the school. My time teaching there ultimately changed the direction of my career. It eventually led me to pursue my second master’s degree in Art Education and become a certified educator.

Since then, I have taught students across a wide range of ages and educational settings, from K–12 art and English to college courses in art history and art appreciation. Teaching across multiple subjects and grade levels has shaped how I approach education, and my background as a professional photographer allows me to offer students firsthand knowledge of working in a creative field. My experience in art history and international travel also lets me place art within the larger stories of history, culture, and everyday life.

Since then, I have taught students across a wide range of ages and educational settings, from K–12 art to college courses in art history and art appreciation. Each of those experiences has shaped the way I approach teaching. My background as a professional photographer lets me offer students firsthand knowledge of working in a creative field, while my background in art history and international travel lets me place art within the larger stories of history, culture, and everyday life.

I believe some of the most interesting things about a work of art cannot be understood simply by looking at it. Art gives us a record of the people who made it: what they valued, what they experienced, how they viewed the world, and sometimes even what they hoped to change about it. I want my students to learn how to look closely, ask thoughtful questions, and recognize those connections while also developing their own skills as artists.

Just as importantly, I want students to know that there is a place for them in an art classroom regardless of their previous experience or natural ability. Not every student will pursue a career in the arts, nor do I expect them to. My hope is that they leave my classroom with greater confidence in their own creativity and a deeper appreciation for the role art plays in the world around them.

For those students who do hope to pursue art professionally, I am grateful to be able to share what I have learned from my own career. I want them to understand both the creative and practical sides of working in the arts and, above all, to see that a life and career centered around art is entirely possible.