As long as I can remember, I have loved to draw freely and fluently.  My preferred medium is graphite drawing, although I also enjoy sculpture and painting.  In my drawings, I am inspired by the world around me.  In the creation of a drawing, I feel a positive energy that is similar to what a musician feels when improvising.

Despite my great love of art, I grew up believing that art could not be a real career choice.  In the process of getting my History degree with a Minor in Religious Studies from UNO, I discovered that I also had a passion for education, and that I was happy and comfortable in educational settings.  After a few years struggling to find a place where I could happily earn a living, and after meeting some really wonderful people who have opened my eyes to new possibilities, I have returned to UNO to obtain a degree in Art Education.

My goal is to teach and to learn, and to encourage creative expression in others.  I believe that the creation of art is therapeutic and has all of the psychological and spiritual benefits of meditation.  I believe that art teaches us things about ourselves and our culture that we could not discover otherwise.  And I believe that someone who learns to create and to value her own creations is thereby furnished with the confidence necessary to effect positive change in her world.

There are forces in the world that teach us to be cautious for fear of ridicule, and we are apt to suppress the unique impulses that arise from within ourselves.  An education that emphasizes creative expression counteracts these forces, making the progress that we imagine into a real possibility.  To help to facilitate this kind of education through WhyArts? is a joy and a privilege.