I teach with one foot in the professional world, the other in the classroom, and both hands in my communities. I'm an active member of my design and professional networks, and they inform my daily practice as a senior designer for CU Boulder. That active learning and knowledge are applied easily and actively in my classroom for the benefit of my students; they are excited to learn new industry information or tricks and eager to apply them in their work. In the classroom, I strive to be fully present and accessible to my students, meet each one on their level, and raise the class's ability as a whole. I'm an advocate and leader in my communities and causes. I believe the specific skills inherent to designers call us to serve our communities and impact change where we're able. I implore my students to do the same: give back to the communities, networks, and families that support them.

I describe myself as a Designer, Leader, Educator, and Advocate. Each of these four passions of mine intersects in their entirety in my classroom. I'm a skilled professional designer with ten years of experience in the industry. I engage in leadership activities in my organizations to expand my network and learn from my colleagues and experiences to better inform my professional and teaching practice. I tirelessly advocate for my students to ensure that they are safe, happy, healthy, and then engaged in the classroom, with the content, and with each other because–though they don't know it–they're already building their network.

I believe in modeling curiosity, radical candor, assumption of positive intent, and professional vulnerability. It's necessary that as designers we learn to respect one another, hear our different stories, and embrace them. That requires us to be brave and vulnerable. We're our best selves and creators when we've been able to hear each other and start to create a new chapter of our stories, together. Honesty and respect are my chief conversational concerns in constructive critique, both individually, and collectively. Leading with curiosity, rather than assumptions, helps to avoid personal biases in our conversations and relationships. Modeling radical candor and the assumption of positive intent has allowed my students to grow not only their professional communication skills but also to expand their style and design abilities.