I grew up in the not so rural part of California, Los Angeles, in a small suburban neighborhood just minutes from Hollywood. Although I spent my childhood with concrete beneath my feet, my fondest memories are of the moments I spent outside, collecting treasures and comparing leaves under an orange tree. As the child of an immigrant family, I was taught to appreciate the public school system and quickly conformed to traditional expectations. I adapted to the K-12 standards, excelled academically, and in 2014 earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis. I graduated with honors majoring in Human Development and minoring in both Education and Psychology.

At UC Davis, I had the pleasure of interning at their Early Childhood Lab, where I fell in love with early childhood education. Seeing first-hand the curiosity, independence, self-confidence, and emotion regulation skills that teachers can foster solidified my career choice as an early childhood educator. Since graduating, I have had the pleasure of working at two highly rated Montessori and Reggio inspired schools, serving the children of parents associated with UC Davis and Duke University, respectively. At both schools my eagerness to learn and grow helped me advance to leadership positions within a year. Although Reggio and Montessori teaching philosophies have many differences, they both value a self-directed approach to learning that I fully embrace. These dual experiences consolidated in me the importance of child-led learning. Reflecting back on my educational experience, I realize that I was one of the lucky few who was able to learn through traditional teacher-led methods. Throughout my eight years as an early childhood educator, I have met many curious, intelligent, and creative children for whom a standard curriculum did not meet their needs. In fact, unstructured play serves a far greater role for children than being instructed to use materials in a predetermined manner, as it allows them to use their imagination. Throughout these experiences not only did I grow as an educator, I also learned a lot about myself. I realized my desire for lifelong learning and so I decided to return to school and obtain my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Leadership, Policy, and Advocacy.

My absolute favorite part about being a teacher is without question the field trips we took off-campus. I frequently organized and led outings surrounding our local community. Our trips to Duke Gardens and the nearby creek inspired questions on a myriad of plants and animals, to which many I had no answers, so we learned together. Our kiddos and I absolutely loved our adventures! It’s at this point that I began to see the benefits of outdoor adventures; the curiosity, the eagerness to learn and overall ambition of children just seemed to flourish outside the physical constraints of a classroom. With every trip, the benefits of child-led exploration were on display. In each muddy soaked step I could see the development of confidence, independence and self-esteem. Early timidness gave way to utter joy as water splashed their muddy faces. It’s exactly this joy that I chase and hope to continue cultivating as I merge my love for early childhood education with my love for the outdoors. Many of us intuitively know that children should spend time engaged outdoors, yet today’s society increasingly keeps us inside; I aim to change that.

Aside from working or completing schoolwork, I spend a lot of time exploring North Carolina’s green spaces with my loving husband and energetic Siberian Husky, Kali. We especially love the Blue Ridge Parkway! I am absolutely inspired by mountains, rivers, lakes, woods, sunsets and the vastness of the stars. Backpacking, kayaking, and trail running are my love languages. I love the simple, the complex, the familiar, and the unknown. I'm a full-time daydreamer. Even just a local hike nearby makes me feel at peace. Trust me when I say I also enjoy a good tv show as I fall asleep on the couch with cookies and ice cream. :)