To date the most significant moments of my life have been the ones spent working with students.

The similarities and differences I have witnessed in explored cultures have given me a better perspective on my home. For over 20 years, I have worked with people from outside of Iowa and the United States. My experiences began with exchange students in high school and quickly expanded to an international dorm at my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa where I made lifelong friends. I studied biology with specialty courses taken in environmental science and a German minor. While at UNI, I also lived in Austria for a semester. The time in Austria allowed me to learn German that along with the science background led me to work as an international contact person for the global engineering firm STORK. Thereafter, I returned to Austria this time as a Fulbright English Language Teaching Assistant for a school year working for two gymnasium schools. Returning to Iowa I found work teaching English as a Second Language for Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and teaching biology for Drake University. While teaching biology at the university level, I also have had the chance Drake University: I am teaching the biosynthetic pathway for production of to teach talented and gifted summer programs through AMP in yeast to introductory biology the Des Moines School District and the Belin-Blank Center students. in Iowa City for 5th and 6th grade students (ages 10 12). During one summer session, I met the father of one of my students who appreciated my teaching strategies and gave me the opportunity to work with his familys training school in Beijing China for the summer of 2010. While there, I began the process of learning
Belin-Blank Center: Students in the top image are working on poster presentations explaining food webs. Below there are 5 colored filters to test which colors are best for photosynthesis.

Mandarin and had the chance to explore a culture quite different from that of central Europe or the Midwestern United States. Today I continue to be an ESL instructor for
Xin Ying Da Training School (Beijing, China): Students in the top photo are studying English for exams. Seeing the Great Wall was an important part of the cultural exchange.

DMACC while I complete my master of arts in teaching at Drake University by student teaching 7th grade science at May Goodrell International Baccalaureate Middle School in Des Moines.

Gymnasium students in Austria, middle school students in the Midwestern U.S., or training school students from the rural provinces of China have much more in common than not. They all have natural curiosity and they all have the desire to use their knowledge to improve their World. I believe it is my duty as a teacher to set an example in the classroom and cultivate their already existing desire for

knowledge by providing an environment where all possible can be B.O.R.G. (Klagenfurt, Austria): Students of the Upper Level Natural Sciences explored. Practical education does not mean limited education. In a Gymnasium learning English. In the top world that is dynamic and ever changing being broadly capable is photo, I wear the traditional garb of the best way to be prepared. My overall education and experience Stiermark Austria. is quite broad ranging from engineering technician to educator from agronomy assistant to caf barista, but at its core lays a passion for the unexplored and a respect for scientific reasoning and methodology. I hope to continue to use my experiences to help others achieve their potential.
*Faces on images have been blurred to protect students identities.