I'm a University of Northern Iowa alumni (twice). I completed a B.A. degree in Art Education. I also went to Iowa State for a year previous to UNI. While at UNI, I focused on Drawing and Ceramics. I also have a Master's from UNI in Instructional Technology. In the past several years, I've developed a passion for Graphic Arts and Photography through the courses I teach at Ed-Co.
I was born in Rockford, IL and grew up in Belvidere, IL. For those of you that don't know, Belvidere is located half way between Dubuque and Chicago (about 3 hours from Edgewood). I have one younger brother who graduated from Carroll University in Waukesha, WI and now works for Aurora Healthcare in Milwaukee. My family is in the trucking business in Rockford, IL, so most of my relatives live in Northern, IL. I live in Edgewood with my husband Matt, our sons Conner and Cayden and my stepson Colten. My husband Matt works at Kendrick Forest Products as a loader operator. He's organizes the logs that come in and places logs on the sawmill deck.
When I was in high school, I was in many of the art classes and a member of the band. I thought I wanted to be an interior designer, which is what brought me to Iowa. Iowa State's interior design programs is one of the best in the United States. I enjoyed the classes at ISU, but realized that the lifestyle that job would bring wasn't for me. I then had to transfer, because at the time ISU only had art education as a masters program (and they now no longer have it). That's how I ended up at the University of Northern Iowa. While I was at UNI, I started a college chapter of Kiwanis called Circle K. This club focuses on the needs of children within the community. I also was involved with the Student Art Education Association and I'm a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
I decided to obtain a Masters degree in Instructional Technology through UNI distance learning program. I completed this program August 2010. Click here to see my portfolio from the program. I also took some extra Graduate Courses over the summer (2008) through Learner's Edge: "Drawing to Learn" and "Integrating the Brain and the Arts in Your Classroom"
In my free time I enjoy being outdoors, working out, doing yard-work, hiking, fishing, going on UTV rides, camping, drawing, painting, going to concerts, listening to music, traveling, shopping, and the thing I enjoy the most is spending time with friends and family.
