I love teaching. There is nothing I enjoy more than sharing my knowledge with people. Throughout middle school and high school I worked as a babysitter and over the summers volunteered my time as a counselor at a summer camp. I took on a variety of leadership roles that allowed me to prepare educational activities and programs for my peers, plan outings or fieldtrips that reinforced the goals of volunteer groups I belonged to, and organized international service opportunities to teach young people about giving back to impoverished regions. My mom would say I was a born leader, but for me, leadership was always focused around teaching. If I took on a leadership role in an organization, it was because I wanted to teach people. Teaching as a career seemed like the next logical step.

While I was working on my BA in History I realized that I wanted to be a professor. I wanted to get my Ph.D. and teach at the university level. Research and publishing really wasn’t my thing, but I LOVED to teach. While working on my MA in American History, one of my advisors suggested that I teach at a community college rather than a university because I would be able to focus on teaching, not research. The problem was academic jobs were drying up. People with Ph.Ds. were now teaching at community colleges and many people holding MAs were going into primary and secondary education as single subject teachers. I really liked the idea of teaching middle school or high school but I did not like the idea of waking up SUPER early and I LOATH textbooks. For this reason a teacher friend of mine suggested I get into private tutoring. Working as a tutor I realized there were big demands for private instructors amongst homeschool students and a need for extracurricular study for private and public school students. I really liked the idea of being an educational resource for families regardless of the academic path their students were on so I founded Homeroom Tutoring where I offered 1-on-1 mobile tutoring services. Homeroom Tutoring quickly developed into Homeroom Education where I expanded to offer classes and educational travel.

The name Homeroom Education combines the close relationship students have with a homeroom period teacher at a public or private school with the customization of homeschool. Homeroom Education, to me, stands for the structure of a classroom with the customization of homeschool. The name is also a nod to Kathryn (student) and Jeri (parent) who first gave me the idea for my business model.

I don’t think I would be a good businesswoman or educator if I did not want to expand Homeroom Education. Right now, I run Homeroom Education as the main instructor, travel coordinator, business manager, receptionist, et al. with a few trusted tutors, who are absolutely AMAZING, while also offering stress and anxiety management for my students through MAK Wellness Services, my business partner Liz Kahn’s company. I do this all out of an 118sqft office space and conference room in Downtown San Jose. I love what I do, with who I do it, and where I do it… but … I would love to grow.

My goal is to eventually expand into a space large enough for multiple dedicated classrooms with a larger faculty offering courses in everything from math, science, literature, English, history, computer science and whatever other subjects there is a demand for. If I had all the money in the world I would purchase an entire office building, establish my own school and provide middle school and high school students with the ultimate college prep experience. Enrollment, courses, instructors, everything would have the feel of being in college with the added benefit of supportive services (behaviorist, phycologist, therapist, college advisors, financial planning, care givers, family law, and other family services).

I am lucky because all my life I have been surrounded by strong people. My grandfather fought in WWII but not before surviving a plane crash in basic training. My dad, who was a high school dropout, after 8 years in the Navy went on to get a BS in Geophysics then an MS in Computer Science. My husband, since he was a child knew he wanted to work with computers, dedicated himself to studying and learning everything he could about computer science, attended UC Santa Cruz, and then landed his dream job creating video games before moving on to the largest tech company in the world. These strong men have been great supports to me throughout my life… but it is the even stronger women in my life that have influenced me the most.

Linda, my mother-in-law, went to school and started her own business in a time when women did not have the same rights or privileges as men. She moved away from her rural hometown to one of the largest cities in the country, she studied design and opened her own small business with only one other part-time employee. Despite going through a difficult divorce and personal loss she raised two wonderful sons, found her true calling as a mixed medium artist, and provides an amazing example of how to live life fully and happily.

Dr. Hilde, my favorite professor and most treasured advisor from San Jose State University, has always encouraged and pushed me to be better. She has not only guided me academically but professionally and personally as well. I cannot count the number of times I have called, emailed, or visited her in a panic over one thing or another only to have her bring me back down to earth and calmly explain that everything is going to be fine. She has listened to me rant and rave, cry and sob, laugh and giggle. No matter what is going on in life Dr. Hilde has always seen me through. I feel very lucky to have found such a strong and brilliant woman to support me through all of my endeavors. In many ways, whether she knows it or not, she is like a second mom to me… but I still do not feel comfortable calling her anything other than Dr. Hilde.

Jan, my mom. What can I say about her? As if birthing me wasn’t enough, she did so much more than support me. My mom attended every scouting event, every athletic practice and game, every play, saved every report card, every copy of the school newspaper I wrote for, drove me to every leadership meeting, and so much more. She never limited me, never held me back; she said yes far more than she said no, her car was my personal taxi. She watched me go off to foreign countries, college, cross country adventures and always eagerly awaited my return, always wanting to hear all the stories I would bring back. More than any person in my life she has shared in my tears, in my pain, in my heart break only to lift me up and join in my happiness, excitement, and glee. My mom has been an inspiration to me because of her encouragement. Without her cheering me on I never would have made it off my front porch. I want to do great things in my life just to reflect her. She is my rock, my solace, my wings. I want to shine not for her but because of her. If I am the moon then she is the sun that illuminates me.

Red, because in art and literature red represents the strongest human emotions; it represents happiness, love, and devotion while also representing anger, aggression, and jealousy.

I have visited Mexico and Canada as well as Italy, England, Scotland, and Ireland. I had a layover in Germany once but never left the airport so I don’t think that counts.

My life goal is to visit every continent including Antarctica, but right now my top destinations are Germany, Austria, Thailand, and South Africa.

Beowulf might be my favorite book but Oh, The Places You Will Go is a close second.

Yes! I have a dog named Tucker, two cats named Ginger and Wasabi, and a husband named Nathan.

SHARKS HOCKEY above all else, A’s and Angles baseball, 49ers pro football and Longhorns college football, I just found this new sport called Downhill Ice Racing which looks intense, and I become obsessed with both the Summer and Winter Olympics… otherwise I am not much of a sports fan…

I really want to meet a famous world leader. I don’t mean I want to shake some politicians hand as they walk down a rope line... I really want to meet them. I want to sit down over drinks or a meal and really talk to the President of the United States, the Queen of England, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, the Pope, the Dalai Lama, you get the picture. I mean how cool would that be!

Funny looking!

Steak! I LOVE MEAT… my dad grills the best steaks… mine are a very close second.

Halloween and Christmas are by far my favorites. Not because of all the candy and presents but because of the traditions that my husband and I have. Every Halloween we decorate our front walkway with a minimum of 20 pumpkins, I even have specialized carving tools. For Christmas we always cut down our own tree and we have never gotten a tree less than 12ft tall.

That is a tie between Queen Isabela I of Spain and Queen Elizabeth I of England. Isabela for her extreme devotion, sponsorship of exploration, and the horrors she inflicted upon those who dared to think differently than her (I don’t condone the Spanish Inquisition, but the fact that a woman set in motion one of pre-reformation Europe’s most horrific atrocities is rather impressive considering the restrictions placed on women during the 15th and 16th centuries). Elizabeth for expanding opportunities for women in England, playing by her own rules, and her love of the arts (she was a supporter of music, theater, painting, and sculpture).