I grew up in Central Ohio, where I spent my school years playing music in the band and orchestra, singing and dancing in the show choir and musicals, and running long distances in track and cross country. After high school I headed to Cambridge, MA to attend MIT for my undergraduate degree. While at MIT I studied chemistry and aero-astro engineering. I also had the great privilege to work in a MIT organic chemistry research lab and research labs at the MIT Media Lab. At the MIT Media Lab I worked on development and deployment of Fab Labs, digital fabrication based maker spaces. After Cambridge I moved to Baltimore to go to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University where I studied Materials Science and Engineering. There I did research on ultrafast lasers, terahertz radiation, and laser ultrasound. While in graduate school I began to work with teachers in Baltimore City and the National Federation of the Blind under an NSF grant and fell in love with STEM education. My love of STEM education lead me to work at the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES) where, in partnership with the Fab Foundation and MIT, I had the opportunity to work with schools and programs all over the world on the integration of digital fabrication with education. While in Baltimore I met my husband. We live in Baltimore until 2014 when his job moved our children and us to Southern California. I now live in Vista with my husband and 3 boys. I spend most of my free time with my family exploring southern California and traveling. We love hiking and camping, but also enjoy the zoo, Legoland, and the museums in Balboa Park. I also love to cook and bake for friends and family, something I hope to bring into my work at High Tech High North County.