I was born in San Diego, raised in rural Orange County, raised my kids in the foothills near Pasadena, then finally found my home in the Northwest. I’m married with five kids, three grandkids, and a beagle. I work in the Safety & Compliance department of a trucking company. Before that, I worked 15 years at a middle school providing technological and instructional support to 30 teachers and 650 6th – 8th graders. I’ve also been a waitress and restaurant manager, tutor, instructional assistant, tech liaison, data cruncher, yearbook adviser, a ticket-taker at Universal Studios, and set up bounce castles for birthday parties.

My years at the middle school presented many opportunities for me to learn Office, Photoshop/Illustrator/Premiere, web design (who remembers Dreamweaver software?), photography, and a myriad of other skills. My sources were Lynda.com, Deke.com, Scott Wittenburg, Terry White, Microsoft tutorials, Adobe tutorials, and, of course, YouTube. Unfortunately, since I am mostly self-taught, I have huge gaps in my knowledge base. This class, and the content that we will create are my opportunity to set that right.

I’ve made several attempts at education (Pasadena City College, Citrus Community College, Cal State Los Angeles, Azusa Pacific University), each time getting closer and closer to crossing the finish line. This is it, though. I have a good feeling about WSU’s Global Campus. I look forward to both the learning we will do together and the connections we will make along the way.

My dream job is in education. I want to be a part of the team that makes teaching possible, and effective–something in Data Management or IT. I want to provide teachers with tools, information, and ideas to inspire and enable them to be creative in the classroom.

I spend a lot of time walking my dog along the Columbia River where it takes its final turn west toward the ocean. I’ve always got my trusty old Olympus digital camera because you never know what the clouds are going to do!