"I was constantly inspired to write in Hawai’i—the beautiful scenery, the passionate people, and my crazy-but-lovable middle schoolers were a pretty perfect combination."

Hometown

San Marcos, Texas

Department

School of Teacher Education - M.Ed. in Teaching

Related Degrees

• MEdT, Teaching - Elementary, Secondary & Hawaiian Language Immersion

What is your current position?
I teach 7th grade English at Ojeda Middle School in Austin, Texas and try to squeeze in as much writing as possible between lesson planning. While working on my master’s at the COE, I taught 7th grade English at ʻAiea Intermediate School for two years.

How did you end up in Hawaiʻi?
I worked for a brief and terrible cubicle-soul-sucking time in marketing until I was accepted into Teach for America and gladly moved to Oʻahu.

What is your new book about?
The Waiting Room is about love, but also about faith, predestination, philosophy, friendship and self-actualization. I dreamt about the ‘waiting room’ once and offhandedly wrote my boyfriend a love poem about waiting for him after death. Somehow, that became a novel.  There is even a chapter set in ʻEwa, based on a short story I wrote that was published in the Hawaiʻi Review.

What advice would you give your students who are aspiring writers?
Writing is just like any other skill—the more you do it, the better you are at it! Don’t be afraid to throw yourself onto the page.

What are you future career plans?
Next year, I’ll be teaching at my alma mater high school! I’ve only taught middle school, so I’m very nervous and excited. I also hope to continue to publish novels.

How did your experience in Hawaiʻi and the COE help you along your path?
My cohort’s professors, Fred Birkett and Jim McKown, were absolutely amazing. They helped us grow as teachers and as people. I was constantly inspired to write in Hawai’i—the beautiful scenery, the passionate people, and my crazy-but-lovable middle schoolers were a pretty perfect combination.