I was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. I attended college at SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry which is a sub-division of Syracuse University. I double majored in Psychology and Biology with a concentration in Science Teaching. New York state, although has cold winters, is a great place to study the environment. Most of my upper division classes were held outside. My senior year I was awarded a scholarship to travel to Kenya, Africa for 4 weeks. While there I studied the browsing effects of the African elephant. While in college I also played lacrosse on Geneseo's (DIII) team.

    My husband and I moved to San Diego due to his job. He is a Cardiovascular Perfusionist. My first permanent teaching job was at Steele Canyon teaching AP Biology. We have two children Alexander and Addison. Our family loves camping, hiking, mountain biking, surfing, swimming, snowboarding and rock climbing.