About MeI have been passionate about technology from an early age. In elementary school I would wire and fix crystal radios, remote control cars and other simple electronic devices. In middle school I started building custom computers for myself and others using online forums as a guide. This turned into me having a small computer building and repair business. In high school I was lucky enough to attend a public school that offered an engineering academy. This academy, among other things, involved wiring and programming robots. Based on this academy and my other experiences I decided to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study computer engineering.
At Cal Poly I was fortunate to have some amazing experiences teaching seminars in Cal Poly’s Summer Institute for three years and leading orientation groups in Cal Poly’s Week of Welcome Program for four. After having finished the Calculus series and numerous physics and engineering courses, the passion I had developed teaching and mentoring students led me to decide to restart my college career and pursue education. Upon graduation I went on to obtain my TEFL certification to teach English internationally and was privileged to have an amazing experience teaching English in Costa Rica, getting the opportunity to be the English professor to the entire Education department of UNESCO Central America, the private tutor to the CFO of a premiere international marketing firm in Central America, as well teaching larger classes to engineers at Intel, HP, and at a public technical high school in Alajuela, Costa Rica. After returning to the United States I began working as an IT contractor at the Bellevue Union School District with the intention of going back to school to get my teaching credential. This led me to get involved in educational technology and here I found a perfect fit for my passions and expertise. Now as Director of Information and Technology for the Bellevue Unions School District I have the pleasure of having the job of combining my expertise and passion to facilitate the integration of technology in the classroom. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to spend this week in June collaborating with educators throughout the county to continue to develop methodology and practices to most effectively make 21st century education a reality in our county. |