My educational journey spans over 30 years, two states, and three separate career trajectories, all while serving education and educators in both public and private settings. My past opportunities have led me to north central Kansas and closer to my roots. My greatest joy in life is my family, whom I am extremely proud of. As a mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, and wife, I have etched a diverse and creative path to where I am now. Always learning and moving forward, I love sports, especially baseball, and the Oakland Athletics MLB team. I play golf and bike daily and enjoy theater and entertainment. I find my greatest joy in life to be my children and grandchildren. They are my most cherished accomplishment.
What do you now do for a living? How did you end up choosing this career path?
I am an early childhood education instructor at Cloud County Community College and a private practice literacy intervention therapist specializing in dyslexia interventions for emergent literacy learners. I began my journey at Cloud County in 2008, taking a few early childhood courses, and soon transferred to Fort Hays State. I earned my early childhood unified degree while working as a parent educator for Parents as Teachers in Beloit. I became licensed to teach special education K-12 and early childhood B-3rd grade in Kansas. I returned to FHSU and earned my master’s in educational administration while teaching kindergarten. I have pursued literacy intervention courses for the past couple of years and am working to establish private practice therapy for young students with literacy learning differences. In addition to this, I train childcare staff through the Kansas Childcare Training Opportunities organization based at K-State and will be introducing an early literacy learning curriculum to teachers and parents in our region.
Why did you choose to attend FHSU?
I chose FHSU because my daughter was attending. I wanted to make it a family affair so we could study together and I could experience the best value for my education. It was convenient for me to take online courses while working full-time. My daughter graduated with her master’s in special education from FHSU and eventually earned her doctorate from a program referral from FHSU. My son finally enrolled and graduated from FHSU with a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance. My daughter was the first in our family to earn her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate.
What are your favorite memories from your time as a student?
Study parties with my daughter on weekends. We sat for hours writing paper after paper. Then we went to the gym and powerlifted with my son. He usually finished his studies beforehand, and my daughter and I worked better under pressure.
What advice do you have for current or prospective FHSU students?
My best advice is to find a strong support system and have fun. If you can find others in class who share your same goals, make friends and support each other. It helps.
Tell us about someone at FHSU who has left a lasting impression:
I often think about Dr. Walizer’s lessons when I teach. She shared so much information with us and demonstrated content.
In what ways are you proud to be a Tiger?
I am proud to be a Tiger because I consider FHSU part of my family, especially since I was a second-career student and could attend with my adult children.