How would you describe your occupation? I am an art teacher at Newtown High School. I teach a range of classes from drawing, painting, AP studio art, ceramics, and art and literature humanities. In my past experiences I’ve also taught photoshop, photography, mixed media, fashion photography, cartooning, with a little bit of animation. I started the National Art Honor Society at NHS and am the advisor for the group.

Who is in your family? I am a mother of four children. My husband and I have a daughter who is six, another daughter who is five, and two boys: one is two and the other is one year old.

Do you have any pets? I have two dogs, Maxine and Lyra; and a cat, Dusty.

What do you like to do in your free time? If I get the chance, I usually like to read fiction and nonfiction, and I like to paint and draw. I like to create a lot of art in my free time when possible. I love the summertime, going outside and being at the beach as much as possible, as well.

What’s your favorite book? My favorite book I read recently was Educated by Tara Westover.

Who/what has been the greatest influence on your life? My experiences that were not-so-great motivated me to be better. My family dynamic was not healthy growing up. I ensured that I don’t have that in my future, and that I have a good career. I like being able to be someone that the students can come to. They have their own struggles, and adults in their life may not be able to help them. I wanted to be a safety net for students; I was always motivated to be an art teacher since I was little.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would it be? I wish I could spend the day with my grandfather, because he was out of my life for so many years, not by my choice. It would be so cool to hear about when I was younger, but he passed away before I could have those long conversations with him. Can I spend a day with just me, too? I want to have a day with myself.

Who is your favorite musical artist? It changes a lot, but right now I can’t stop listening to John Newman.

What is the greatest piece of advice you’ve been given? Time management. And, “it’s okay to say no.” That was advice I had someone tell me as a boss and colleague. Especially when you’re in your first years of teaching, you try to take on everything, because you want to prove yourself. It’s okay to start to turn around and say, “I can’t handle any more, I need to say no.”

What is one thing you can’t live without? My green tea. I drink tea all day.

What’s your proudest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishment is my four kids. Other than that, education-wise, I felt really good when I got my masters degree from Boston University. I finished it right at the beginning of COVID, pregnant with my third.

What’s your favorite travel destination? My favorite place I’ve ever been was Curaçao Island. It’s so beautiful. The best goat cheese I’ve ever had in my life was there.

What is the best part of Newtown? Everyone here is willing to keep growing, not just be complacent with how things are. They ask, “how can we change the system?” and “how can we build the next thing?” It’s not, “Well, this is how we’ve always done it, we’re good.” There are a lot of people willing to keep growing.