I teach at the edge of the southern pine forest in the smallest public school district in Florida. In my first five years as an educator, I commenced each year with a new teaching assignment. Within the one elementary school and one middle school in the district I have had the privilege of teaching seventh grade language arts, second grade, elementary art, and gifted, as well as serving as a science coach. I am currently a Title I elementary math specialist.

As an elementary science coach, I led educators from neighboring districts through intensive professional development and science reform as part of Let's Talk Science. Leading this Math-Science Partnership grant provided insight on how STEM and innovation grants can be catalysts for positive change. Within the realm of gifted education I revitalized and redesigned my school's gifted program, tripling the student population and securing multiple sources of outside funding within the span of just over a year. I gained additional perspective on federal programs as a member of my city's Citizens' Advisory Committee for Community Development and as a reviewer of competitive gifted program grants for the Florida Department of Education. Presently, I serve as a founding member of the Commissioner's Teacher Task Force, an advisory group of educators representing teachers across Florida.

As a Teaching Ambassador Fellow, I explored policies regarding teacher quality and educational equity. I have been interested in closing the achievement gap on both a local and national level throughout my career. I joined an AmeriCorps literacy program upon graduation from college. As a teacher, I continue to contribute to national organizations by volunteering as a writing coach for College Summit and working in numerous capacities with Teach For America.

The commonality among my involvement in the outside education programs and in the teaching of nine grade levels and six content areas is that my placements reflect where I hope to most impact student learning on an annual basis. Within these varied roles I bridge the divide among policy, theory, and reality on a daily basis. To this triangulation I bring the perspective of a classroom teacher, state assessment contributor, action research leader, scholar, mentor, website designer, curriculum developer, and grant writer.

As an educator, I have been particularly cognizant of how my own opportunities were enhanced by geographical circumstance. Three miles measure the physical distance between my students and my childhood home. Yet, those few miles transverse much more than a few farm acre plots bisected by a river; those three miles divide two school districts separated by an opportunity gap. Raised on the south side of the river, I earned a master's degree in reading education from the University of Florida, attained membership in Phi Beta Kappa, and received an International Baccalaureate diploma. When I reflect upon my own academic endeavors, I think of my students, the challenges they face, and similar obstacles faced by students nationwide.