I’ve been dancing with Skagit Valley Academy of Dance for 16 years. When I was 13 I began assisting the same teachers that I looked up to for my entire childhood. In 2018 I was the assistant choreographer for TAG’s production of Annie with Jenn Johnson. As someone who has always had a love for theater, being able to teach and choreograph in a theatrical setting was a pivotal experience that was able to show me how truly passionate I am about the art form and the gift of teaching. Then, in 2019 I was gifted with the opportunity to assistant choreograph the first ever production of Pray The Gay Away for TAG with Donna Carrol. That show took my intense love for teaching to a level that filled my heart with happiness and my eyes with tears of joy each time I watched our work come to life onstage. This gave me the opportunity to speak out about a social issue that I have always been passionate about using the art form that I loved most. Since then I have been hired as a choreographer for the Anacortes High School Drama Department and have choreographed 4 productions with them which has presented me with many technical, spacial and time-sensitive obstacles that allowed me to adapt and learn a thing or two myself which will definitely come in handy as I continue to teach.
I will be going to Western Washington University in fall of 2020 to study for my masters in english and literature in hopes of becoming a high school english teacher. Through all of the experiences I have had as a both a student and a teacher I have made an observation that I feel very strongly about. It has become clear to me that teachers are the people that impact our mindset for the rest of our lives. A “bad” teacher may have you convinced that the only reason you come to class is to receive a grade rather than actually learn the information given to you. This closed mindset to learning will carry on with students long into their careers as adults. I want to be able to provide students, no matter what age, with a space where they feel comfortable with taking their time to fully grasp the lesson at hand without feeling overwhelmed with the pressure of being perfect. I want to be the teacher that shows students that having a growth mindset is the key to getting the results they are working towards. I was able to receive that knowledge here at SVAD and I hope to carry that knowledge on.
