Personal Life
I grew up in a small town in central Pennsylvania, loving the simplicity of rural, small town life. I currently live about 45 minutes from my hometown, but still enjoy the same lifestyle I grew up loving. I live with my husband, Sam, my daughter, Isabelle (Ellie), and my dog, Silas. Most of my days are spent playing with Silas and Ellie and marveling over how much a baby can learn and grow in just 6 months.
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I have a passion for traveling, and Hawaii is definitely my favorite place I've visited. I love exploring new areas and experiencing different ways of living. I also love watching football (go Penn State!), and one of the items on my bucket list is to watch a game at every Big Ten stadium.
There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point? -Pam, "The Office"
Professional Life
Professional Life
The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. -B.B. King
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When I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and went to Penn State completely undecided for my major. My freshman year, I changed my major multiple times, and was really getting frustrated when I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. It was at the end of my freshman year that I finally decided to major in education. At that point, everything changed for me. There was just something inside me that told me that I had finally gotten it right. I loved my classes, professors, classmates, and advisers- it was as though everything just fell into place.
After I graduated from Penn State, I was fortunate to get a job right away in a great school district. I have also been extremely fortunate to be able to teach my preferred grade level (12th) every year that I have been teaching here. I love watching the transformation seniors go through from the beginning of the year to when they graduate and really become adults. It's exciting to be there for them and help them transition through this stage of their lives.
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My professional writing life began in 2016 when I finished my master's. I've always loved writing and decided to take the time I had been devoting to my master's work and use it to write. When I had my baby in July 2018 and went on maternity leave from teaching, I began to work more on my writing career. It's the perfect situation: I get to write while my baby naps on me. What could be better? The more I work on my writing career, the more I remember how much I love writing and helping others through my gift of writing.