Hello! My name is Noel and I grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI. I studied Journalism and History at the University of Wisconsin where I graduated in 2003 with absolutely no desire to start a career. Instead, I loaded my backpack and flew to Costa Rica which began an adventure that inspired a deep love for world travel. I traversed the globe for most of my 20s and 30s with a particular passion for long distance hiking in hard to get to places. In 2010 I left my job working on a train in Anchorage, Alaska to start a new life in San Diego. In the Fall of 2021 I enrolled in the San Diego Teacher Residency graduate school program through High Tech High. I married Lauryn Stephenson, a 12th grade teacher at High Tech Media Arts, in 2022 and we welcomed our daughter June into our lives on April 9, 2024. I stepped into teaching fearful that I was making a big mistake and ended up finding the first and only occupation I’ve ever truly loved. I live to show my 4th graders that there is a big, wonderful world out there just waiting to be explored!