I began my career as an educator at Literacy Volunteers of America of Clinton County in 2000.  It was through helping individuals who spoke English as a second language while completing my undergraduate degree in visual art, that I discovered I had a gift and love for teaching.

In 2002, I began teaching as a substitute at AuSable Valley Central School District and in 2003 was hired as an art teacher at the middle-high school.  After seven wonderful years at AVCS, I set off for new horizons on the coast of Maine, where I taught visual art to PreK-8th grade level students in rural districts near the ocean and blueberry fields.

In 2016, I decided to move back home to the Adirondacks and was hired at Saranac Central School District as a part-time high school art teacher and later as a full-time art teacher at Willsboro Central School District where I was awarded a tenured position.

Sharing my knowledge and gifts with future generations of artists fills my heart with joy and is part of my soul's purpose.

When students connect with the magic of art through the creative process and see their work displayed in an exhibition with a sense of accomplishment in their eyes, I feel whole.  Building relationships with students of all ages and abilities while guiding them on their own unique journey, is one of my favorite aspects of life. 

Visual art is such an essential part of a child's education--being an art teacher is a magical and honorable duty.  My feelings about teaching art can be summed up best through the words of Kermit the Frog, a wonderful advocate for the Arts:

I feel strongly that the visual arts are of vast and incalculable importance.  Of course I could be prejudiced, I am a visual art.

I am an avid hiker and working on completing the Adirondack 46ers challenge has been a wonderful way to reconnect with the beloved mountains I call home.  I also love animals and have spent many years volunteering for organizations such as the St. John Feral Cat Fund and Elmore SPCA.

I am not simply an art teacher, I am a working artist and continue to work on my craft when I am not teaching.  I have participated in professional shows at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Clinton County Cultural Arts Center, Strand Center for the Arts, and the Essex Gallery.  Currently, one can find my work for sale at Kit&Syl Studio in Whallonsburgh, NY.