I am an educator because this is the greatest, most impactful political act there is as we empower the hearts and minds of young people. After earning my bachelor’s in philosophy at Miami University in Ohio, I began my education career in the highly competitive Teach for America corps before earning my master’s in science in teaching at New School University in New York. I designed mediation and yoga retreats for four years and this path led me to Hawai‘i, and ultimately back to education, and then to HTA in 2013. During my time with HTA, I have taught humanities, served as the Maui campus director, and, most recently, as the Director of Curriculum and Innovative Learning. I live in west Maui; seeing the impact of the wildfires on my own community spurred me to help launch our Lāhainā campus.