My Story
One of the most defining aspects of my life is the dedication of my parents to providing me with the
highest quality education they could find. I spent my first three years of school at the School of the Suncoast, a private Waldorf elementary school in Clearwater, Florida. My time there not only laid a foundation of academic excellence and creativity but also one of certain "non-cognitive" skills that I have found to be tremendously helpful in many components of school and life. These specific skills, which includes skills like optimism, persistence, and self-control are quickly becoming recognized as more critical to student academic success than cognitive ability and better indicators of future performance. This is why I have made it my personal teaching philosophy to integrate these skills alongside traditional academic curriculum and give my students the opportunity I am so grateful to have had.
In 2001 my family relocated in Prescott, Arizona where I attended Mountain Oak Charter School, a Waldorf inspired charter school that had opened its doors two years prior. From third grade to eighth grade I remained at MOCS under the tutelage of Ms. Sharon Mcfeely, a brilliant teacher who helped culture the creativity and academic ability of a plethora of successful students. My first year of high school was a bit hectic. My parents insisted that I try a number of alternative schools before settling for the large public high school that I so badly wished to attend so I humored them and spent the first semester of my freshman year spending some time at an expeditionary learning school, a catholic school and a private boarding school. None of them were the right fit for me so by the second semester of the year I did end up at Prescott High School but in retrospect I am grateful for the experiences I was exposed to during that time.
Like many high school graduates, I found myself with little direction after receiving my diploma. I toyed around with the idea of attending one of Arizona's public universities but decided against it. I decided to join the Navy as a dental corpsman. Unfortunately, a freak injury cut my naval career short and I found myself in the same situation as before. How lucky was I to find MUM only a few months later? As soon as I saw that this unique university offered a credible education program I was sold.