“I am a career changer by trade. I started out in the business field. I worked 14 years in international sales and marketing. But I always wanted to be a teacher.

When I originally graduated high school, I had started to become an art teacher. I made it to my last semester and I panicked because there were no jobs. So I went into business instead. I did that for 14 years.

Then when my oldest daughter went to kindergarten, I brought her to school and walked into that elementary building. There’s just something about an elementary school. It pulled on me. I remember going home and telling my husband, ‘I’m going back to school to be a teacher.’ We had two little kids at the time, but I knew.

So I went back to school while I was still working in business. I ended up teaching for 19 years. I taught elementary, but I also taught anywhere from first through ninth grade in summer school. I’m special education certified. I tutored seniors for their GEDs. I loved it.

I don’t sit idle well. I’ve always had my hands in a lot of things — I think that comes from being in business for so many years. I was union president for nine years. I’m all about process. I love curriculum. And I love watching kids grow.

I was always told I was a leader, so I decided to go for my administrative degree. That happened right at COVID. I interviewed for a few jobs and was offered one, but I panicked. I just didn’t feel like it was the right fit.

Then this position opened up. It was brand new and they were looking to grow the program. It sounded ideal. I started as a student services coordinator, and then was promoted to assistant principal. When I first started, we had 13 kids. Right now we have 37, and next year we’ll have 60 to 65.

I can’t say enough about the program. It’s definitely a great fit for me.

When I talk about growth, it’s the whole dynamic of growing. The program is growing, yes — but the student needs are growing too.

When I started, it was the first year students were housed here at the college in 11th grade. We were figuring out everything — scheduling, emergency procedures, how to contact kids. It’s not like a high school. They all have my cell phone. We use Remind. Safety is always in the back of my mind.

We try to give them autonomy — actually, we give them a lot of autonomy — but we keep in mind they’re still kids. They’re 15 or 16 years old on a college campus. They check in every morning and check out every afternoon. We want that face-to-face. We do weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly check-ins.

We’ve grown from five or six pathways to 16 this year, and next year we’ll have 24. Understanding prerequisites, program order, what kids can and can’t take at certain ages — that’s all part of it. Sometimes we put a student in a pathway and realize, oh my gosh, they can’t be in there yet. So we meet with the college and figure out the best trajectory.

We do everything from the ground up for someone going to college. We’re that person for them. It might be helping with a study group. It might be troubleshooting a registration issue. We’re constantly working through things.

When you go from 13 kids to more than 30, it’s a big difference. This year was a huge learning curve. Bringing on a counselor was a big shift. We’re proceduralizing more and more as we grow.

Most of our juniors are on track to graduate next May with their associate degree. Out of 33, about 30 should finish. That’s amazing.

One professor told me, ‘Give me more of your kids.’ That feels really good.

There’s nothing the same here. It’s diverse. It’s busy. There’s not a lot of downtime. And I love it.”