My special education foundation started as a first year teacher in Arkansas in 2008 when I graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith with a Bachelors degree in Middle Level Childhood Education with an emphasis in science and mathematics. From 2008-2013 I was a general education math teacher, but taught special education inclusion mathematics classes all day for grades ranging from 5th grade to 9th grade. During this time I recieved my Masters degree in Gifted and Talented Education and then in 2013 I moved to Texas and recieved my special education endorsement. I taught in Texas until 2015 then I returned to Arkansas and taught special education inclusion and resource math to grades 7th-9th grade. I had the amazing ability to be able to loop with my students for all 3 years of their junior high career to prepare them for a more inclusive or least restrictive setting, including transitioning to high school. This allowed me to build strong student and family relationships an track meaningful progress over the course of many years until the spring of 2020.
In the spring of 2020 I was accepted as 1 out of 10 Ph.D. candidates into the Razorback-Sooner Scholar Program to work part time for the Univeristy of Arkansas while completing my Ph.D. in Special Education Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Transition Services and conducting cross-university special education research with the University of Oklahoma.
Currently I am starting year 2 of my Ph.D. program and are in the process of research and writing new publications in the areas of educational technology, twice-exceptional students (gifted and talented students with disabilities), ELL students with disabilities, transition services for students with special needs, and financial literacy awareness.
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