Teaching Bio
I believe that everyone has a creative side—and it’s my passion to help students discover and nurture theirs. In my classroom, art is more than just a subject. It’s a vehicle for emotional expression, personal discovery, and critical life skills like problem-solving, resilience, and reflection. Especially in today’s world, students need safe and supportive spaces to explore who they are, manage stress, and communicate their experiences—and I strive to make my classroom that space.
I began my career in graphic design after graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2017, but I quickly realized how much I missed the classroom. Teaching is where my heart is. It’s where I get to watch students grow into more confident, expressive versions of themselves—both inside and outside the art room. My teaching philosophy is rooted in student-centered learning, emotional literacy, and the belief that art can empower young people to understand themselves and the world around them.
I design my curriculum to build both skill and self-awareness. We start with foundational techniques—like line, color theory, perspective, and value—then layer in personal meaning and creative exploration. Each project is intentionally scaffolded to strengthen both artistic confidence and inner voice. Whether we’re working with paint, collage, or mixed media, I weave social-emotional learning into our process—through reflective prompts, class discussions about symbolism and identity, or projects that encourage emotional storytelling. Art becomes a language for students to process what they’re feeling, explore their identities, and share their truths. My goal is for every student to leave my class not just with a strong portfolio, but with a deeper understanding of themselves and how creativity can support them throughout their lives.
Graphic Design CTE Program
The Media Arts: Graphic Design Career and Technical Education (CTE) course was built entirely from the ground up this past year. With no predecessor to guide me, I designed every unit, project, and assessment from scratch. Grounded in both my industry experience and my passion for teaching, the program offers a rigorous, hands-on exploration of design that is relevant, reflective, and empowering.
Students begin the year learning foundational design skills: file types, resolution, raster vs. vector graphics, and digital organization. They build comfort in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator through scaffolded projects that explore shape, layout, photo manipulation, and collage. As we move through the year, students are introduced to photography and camera functions, learning about aperture, ISO, white balance, shutter speed, lighting, and green screen technology. These technical foundations set the stage for more advanced work—especially in identity design and community-centered projects that follow.
The Logo Design Journey
One of the most robust units in the course is our multi-phase logo design sequence, which guides students through the full arc of branding—from understanding the emotional weight of typography to delivering a professional, scalable logo.
We begin with typography—its anatomy, emotional impact, and historical context. Students apply this knowledge to create a wordmark logo for a fictional business, considering how font choice, color theory, and layout communicate a brand’s tone. From haunted houses to bakeries to law firms, students experiment with personality-driven visual language.
Next, students hand-draw their own letterforms, scan them into Photoshop, clean them digitally, and vectorize them in Illustrator. They then use the pen tool to build out identity marks—merging their name with graphic elements that symbolize who they are. These personal branding pieces challenge them to design with intention and practice using Illustrator in more advanced, nuanced ways.
The logo sequence culminates in the HCEC-TV Rebrand Project, where students research and redesign the logo for our district’s educational access television station. Working in groups, they conduct competitive analysis, write creative briefs, and present. Final deliverables include mockups, presentations, and in-depth critiques. Students gain experience not only in professional design tools but in research-based decision-making, brand strategy, and public speaking—skills they will carry beyond the classroom.
Design with Purpose
Design becomes real when students see their work used by others—and our class is deeply committed to community-centered projects that connect students to meaningful causes.
In one project, students partnered with the local animal shelter to create promotional posters for adoptable pets. The collaboration included visual art students, who drew portraits of specific animals. Those portraits were then incorporated into polished graphic designs that were printed, distributed around town, and used by the shelter for digital outreach.
For our Night of the Arts event, students created advertisements that unified all creative disciplines: visual art, band, choir, and media arts. Choir and band students shared music selections, which visual art students translated into expressive paintings. Graphic design students then took those paintings and music themes and turned them into posters that captured the emotional energy of the evening. These projects taught students how to honor other artists' voices, create cross-disciplinary cohesion, and design with both clarity and soul.
Burtonesque Zine Project (favorite pick)
This multi-day unit encourages students to explore the art of storytelling through the whimsical yet haunting lens of Burtonesque design. Drawing inspiration from Tim Burton—an artist heavily influenced by German Expressionism—students learn how distortion, symbolism, and emotion can be used to create characters who are visually exaggerated but deeply human at their core.
A key focus of the project is the recurring theme of the “misunderstood monster.” Many of Burton’s characters are labeled as strange, broken, or frightening—not because they are villains, but because they are different. We examine how these characters often embody vulnerability and loneliness, while the real antagonists are the judgmental townspeople or societal norms that reject what they don’t understand. This theme resonates with many students, especially as we integrate Social Emotional Learning by discussing identity, acceptance, and empathy.
The project unfolds in four main stages:
Character Development – Students brainstorm both internal and external traits of original characters, exploring fears, dreams, emotional patterns, and physical quirks. Each student creates a fully colored full-body character illustration and three expressive facial studies.
Visual Storytelling – Through a series of videos and discussions, students learn how framing, perspective, shape language, and value can be used to heighten emotion and narrative tension. They sketch a 15-panel, achromatic storyboard that maps out their character’s journey.
Zine Construction – Students transfer their storyboard into a fully illustrated, handmade one-page zine complete with a cover, back summary, and a hidden element such as a lift-the-flap or secret compartment. This compact format challenges them to think intentionally about visual layout, pacing, and symbolism.
Critique & Reflection – The project concludes with a peer critique session centered on constructive feedback, visual storytelling techniques, and the emotional impact of each zine. Students reflect on their technical choices and how their character’s emotional journey mirrors real-life experiences.
Beyond the Classroom
In addition to teaching, I serve in multiple leadership roles. I am the advisor for our Art Club, co-advisor for the Technology Student Association (TSA), a former assistant coach for the e-sports team, and an active member of the Project-Based Learning Leadership Committee. This year, I had the honor of presenting in front of the school board to recognize my graphic design students and the incredible growth of our CTE program.
I’ve also taken initiative in building community partnerships and cross-departmental collaboration. My students and I have hosted and co-hosted community outreach events that showcase student work across disciplines. These “Night of the Arts” events were so impactful that other departments began creating their own family and community nights in response. I regularly bring in guest artists, local organizations, and college representatives for workshops, demos, and informational sessions to help students explore real-world creative paths. We’ve also traveled to universities and art museums for immersive experiences and hands-on learning.
Thanks to the generosity of a local donor, I secured a manual screen printing press, complete with a dryer, inks, and screens—laying the groundwork for an exciting long-term vision. One day, I hope to launch an in-house student-led design agency, where seniors can gain real-world client experience without needing to seek out an external internship. My goal is to provide students not only with technical skills, but also the confidence, leadership, and real-world connections to thrive in any creative field they choose.
Baker Arboretum & Downing Museum
I had the opportunity to work with students from Jennings Creek Elementary in a workshop centered on iconography, color theory, and self-expression. We explored how symbols and color can be used to tell stories—both personal and universal.
As part of the experience, we took a tour of the Downing Museum, where students explored the work of Joe Downing. We analyzed the imagery in his paintings, discussing how abstract forms and colors can carry meaning. This close engagement with Downing’s art deepened the students’ understanding of visual symbolism and enhanced their ability to think critically about their own iconography.
Our conversations focused on the idea that our hands hold history. Scars, calluses, and lines all carry meaning, especially for artists who use their hands as tools. Students traced their own hands and filled the silhouettes with meaningful images—objects, memories, or symbols that represent their identities and experiences. Each student also selected a color palette to reflect their current emotional state, using color as an expressive language.
This project encouraged students to reflect on who they are, where they come from, and how their stories can be communicated. It was an exercise in vulnerability, creativity, and pride—reminding each young artist that their experiences matter and that their voice can be seen.
Community-Based Work
For over ten years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Nashville-based muralist Andee Rudloff on a wide range of community-centered art projects. Together, we’ve built spaces where creativity thrives, inclusivity is prioritized, and art becomes a tool for connection.
Our collaborative efforts include creating the Idea Festival Collaboration Mural—a recurring interactive mural experience that brought together diverse community voices through shared expression. I also supported and co-taught at Camp Innovate, a gifted and talented summer program at Western Kentucky University, where young artists explored design thinking, experimentation, and visual storytelling.
As part of our work in public art, we created directional art installations for a local marathon, designed and installed community utility box wraps as part of a neighborhood beautification initiative, and led large-scale mural activities for Arts for All Kentucky, an organization that advocates for accessible arts programming and cultural experiences for individuals with disabilities.
I’ve also helped with mural planning and facilitation at the SOKY Book Fest, along with various other local arts events. Through these collaborations, I’ve learned that teaching doesn’t always take place inside four walls—sometimes it happens in the middle of a street, at a festival, or alongside a child who’s picking up a paintbrush for the first time.
Arts Education Background
My journey as an educator has been shaped by a wide range of opportunities to work with students in creative settings beyond the traditional classroom. One of my earliest formative experiences was serving as an assistant teacher for the Kentucky Museum’s Summer Art Camps, where I helped guide students through hands-on projects across a variety of mediums. These camps not only included studio time, but also gallery visits, outdoor games, and lunch sessions that fostered connection and creativity. It was there that I had my first experience of solo teaching, stepping up to lead lessons when groups were divided or when the lead teacher was away—an experience that taught me adaptability, planning, and how to confidently manage a group of young artists.
I later worked with Arts for All Kentucky, where I served as both an in-house designer and a teaching artist. Through this organization, I participated in a wide range of events including murals, individualized art lessons for students with disabilities, virtual workshops, and inclusive group paint sessions. Each opportunity pushed me to think creatively and empathetically, adapting lessons based on each student’s unique strengths and needs.
During my college years, I was also a teacher for Super Saturdays, a gifted education enrichment program that offers hands-on learning in subjects like art, science, and writing to students in grades 1–6. In this space, I worked with young students who were not only highly curious, but also eager to learn in ways that diverged from their regular classroom experiences. These weekends were a powerful reminder of the importance of student-centered learning environments where exploration is celebrated.
Additionally, I led enrichment programming for Community Education of Bowling Green/Warren County, where I facilitated before- and after-school activities for elementary students. These sessions encouraged movement, creativity, and hands-on problem-solving—whether we were building, drawing, crafting, or just learning how to collaborate through play.
Each of these experiences deepened my passion for arts education and affirmed my belief that creativity should be accessible, inclusive, and joyfully explored—wherever and however learning takes place.
