My Journey

Advocate

I always knew I would spend my life advocating for children and their families. It was the first thing that fueled my soul and I remember it clearly. I was in high school and the experience paved the way for my college and career goals for the next 20 years. I attended Marist College for Psychology, Special Education, and Elementary Education. Upon graduation, I returned to CT and began my teaching career. I started in a small, rural town, but quickly moved to a larger, more suburban district. After a few years, I found my first true love in 2007 – I began teaching at a place that specialized in children, adolescents, and young adults struggling with learning, emotional, behavioral, or mental health issues. I was hooked; this was the place I had been searching for all my life, where I could make a difference! It truly felt that this is what I had been created for.

Pursuing Education

I continued to pursue my own education, completing a Master of Science in Reading and Language Arts and a Sixth Year Degree in Educational Leadership. In 2013, I became the Principal of this amazing school, where I remained until 2020. During this time, I was immersed in trauma-informed care and teaching and saw the astounding positive results within the students. I quickly realized that this was great practice for all areas of life and began to utilize these strategies in all my interactions.

During this time, I began to feel the pull to become a mother. While I was not in a relationship, I KNEW I needed to be a mother. My time at this school had shown me what I had to offer as a caregiver and opened my eyes to the world beyond myself. Adoption was in my heart, even though I knew it would a long and difficult leg of my journey. However, it was easier and faster than I anticipated and I welcomed my newborn baby girl in May of 2016. As I adjusted into motherhood, I became fierce – not just for my own child, but for all children. My desire to help and do more led to long days and as a single mama, I knew I needed to find more balance to give my daughter the love and attention she deserved.

Caregiver

In 2020, I made the heart wrenching decision to leave education so that I could be more present for my daughter as she navigated her way into the education system. I knew that as a school principal, I would never be able to do all the educational events with my daughter. However, I made a promise to myself that I would continue to advocate, support, assist, and empower children and their families as they journey through the Special Education process.

New Adventure

Access Educational Consulting has been a dream of mine for quite some time. The timing is finally right for me. My tech company is thriving and my daughter is realizing her own independence. I have realized I now have time for the things that feed my soul. And so, Access Educational Consulting was born. I am here and eager to help. Every single student and family I’ve worked with over the years is embedded into the fabric of my life and I am looking forward to adding more with this new adventure.