I started my adult life teaching in a small, rural elementary school. During those five years, I grew tremendously as a professional. Skills that weren't taught in college developed through my experiences with the staff and students. I learned how to work collaboratively with faculty to provide cohesive instruction across the grade levels. Additionally, I developed and led school-wide programs such as our reading incentive program.

  After my fifth year of teaching, I married my husband, which opened up an entirely new world for me, as my husband's career had us moving frequently. I quickly learned, finding a teaching job in the middle of the school year was nearly impossible. This led to my career change into dentistry.

Considering my attention to detail and love of science, I decided to enter the field of dental hygiene. It moved easily with my husband's career and allowed me to work closely with people.  I found that my teaching skills played a huge role in my success as a hygienist. My patients loved my enthusiasm and encouraging words when dealing with dental anxiety. They often complimented how I explained their dental disease, treatment plan or simply answered their questions.

Throughout my dental career, I found myself going beyond oral health. Many offices were converting over from paper to digital dental records. It was exciting to learn the new software and populate it with all the details required, and because of that, my interest in the digital world grew. 

In early 2020 I was introduced to a new dental product company that impressed me with their quality products. After careful consideration, I decided to become one of their ambassadors.  During my ambassador training, I was encouraged to create instructional and informational videos for social media. It wasn't long before I grew interested in Instructional Design and Learning Technology.

  With the initial shortage of personal protective equipment and the hazards surrounding COVID-19, I decided to leave dentistry behind and return to education.  In a matter of months, I committed myself to the Instructional Design and Learning Technology master's program at Anderson University.

  Since completing my master's degree, I joined the IDOL Courses Academy, where I continue to gain experience with multiple authoring tools and the design process. In addition, I joined Rumie Learn as a volunteer learning designer and squad lead. I aim to use these experiences to enter the instructional design and development world.