Natalie was born and raised in San Diego. She earned a BA in Politics and History from UC Santa Cruz and worked in outdoor education, politics, and writing before starting as an AC at High Tech High. This past year she has been a Teacher Resident through the HTH GSE at the high school right across the way. She believes that education and literacy cultivates democracy, agency, and societal change. In her free time you can find her reading the news, at parks around San Diego throwing the ball for her dog Ash, cooking and baking, traveling or camping. Each morning she has an iced latte in a mason jar her partner Tate makes; forewarned she will leave it everywhere in the building.