Educational background: 
After graduating high school in Wisconsin, I moved to UNI for college, which eventually began my lifelong Iowa residency. I received my BA in early childhood/elementary education from UNI. After teaching kindergarten and first grade, I recognized I was taking on multiple leadership roles in my school and decided to pursue my MA in educational leadership.at Drake University.

When my family relocated to the Cedar Valley area, I had the opportunity to come "back home" to UNI when I accepted the position of director at the UNI Child Development Center in 2013. Working with excellent faculty, I felt the time was right to begin my coursework for my EdD in curriculum and instruction at UNI. I completed my degree in 2021 and started a new position at UNI as a full-time instructor in fall 2022.

Career background:
The first half of my career was in the PK-12 school system. My first job was teaching kindergarten and began a lifelong passion of working with this age group. Having taught kindergarten for several years, I moved schools to take a job teaching kindergarten and first grade as a looping teacher. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to connect and build even stronger relationships with my families and kiddos. While attending Drake for my MA, I had the great fortune to be an elementary principal in two amazing school districts. 

As director of the UNI Child Development Center, I was able to connect with the campus and the early childhood faculty. I have taught in the early childhood program at UNI and enjoyed connecting and sharing my passion with pre-service teachers. 

Why did you choose this career path? 
I began with a love of working with young children, which continues today. As an elementary principal I enjoyed connecting with student teachers and helping prepare them to share their training and background with their future employer. 

What brought you to UNI? 
My initial decision to come here as a student was due to the reputation of UNI being a great education school. I finalized the decision to attend after touring and feeling at home. Coming back to work here has been a blessing that has brought me full circle. 

What’s your favorite part about UNI? 
The people. I love working with the many people that are passionate about what they do. The educators at UNI put in many hours to help prepare our pre-service teachers for a bright future.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment? 
Being part of an early childhood program that worked to create and support hands-on experiences for preservice teachers. Finding ways to maximize field experience hours while scaffolding the students learning to be successful in implementing inquiry learning. Being a part of this process has been empowering. 

What are your research interests?
I am passionate about working with pre-service teachers and supporting them while implementing inquiry learning through the Project Approach. I had the great fortune to work with Dr. Mary Donegan-Ritter and Dr. Betsy Zan on a research article around this work: Donegan-Ritter, M., Zan, B., & Pattee, A. (2022). Reflections on Project Work in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 1-12.

What does being student focused mean to you?
One of the things I love about teaching is the relationships you build with the students. Being student-focused allows me to connect with students around the content we are discussing and working on in class and the many other components of their dynamic selves they bring to class. Staying connected with the students and keeping a pulse on how they are feeling is one way I feel I can stay student focused.

We talk about helping students realize or even exceed their expectations and potential. What does it mean to you to be part of that process and see the outcome?
I enjoy seeing students succeed at even the smallest components of the new world they are experiencing. Hearing students referencing "adulting" often and the struggles they face from car troubles to being sick while away and yet succeeding is empowering.

What do you hope students learn from you?
I hope students learn to gain just as much from their successes as their failures. I hope they understand that our goals and ambitions change as we grow and learn more as an educator. Most of all, I hope they continue to celebrate the relationships they build with their students and enjoy every moment. Teaching is hard work, but the reward is great!

What advice do you have for prospective/current students to make the most of their time at UNI?
I hope current and prospective students use this opportunity to meet new people, try new things, and connect with the wonderful people here at UNI. UNI was a great place for me to start my future endeavors as an educator, and has been an amazing place for me to share my passion for teaching and provide support for future educators.