Although originally born here, Elyse has never lived in San Diego until her return to the United States this summer after teaching abroad in Quito, Ecuador where she lived and worked on her Spanish for the last three years. Before that, she received a B.A. in English Literature and her Secondary English teaching credential from Gonzaga University (go Zags!), followed by a M.A.Ed. in Reading Instruction at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Elyse has a passion for traveling. She loves to experience other cultures and enjoys opening up that world to her students through literature and writing. In her free time, she can be found curled up with a good book, hiking, dancing, or spending quality time with her family and friends. She feels incredibly lucky to have joined the amazing HTH community this year, and looks forward to getting to know her students and watching them become readers and writers.