Engaging, equipping, and empowering Deaf students in higher education.

Personal background

I was born on Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. I grew up in Philomath, Oregon, where I played football and wrestled in high school. Philomath was a small, relatively homogeneous town; moving to the Los Angeles area for college introduced me to a much more diverse community. I lived in Southern California for almost twenty years before moving to San Antonio in December of 2012.

I love learning, especially languages. Tante Tori, a family friend and university student who had studied in Germany, introduced me to German when I was in fifth grade, well before I took it in high school. By my senior year, I was taking German IV and Spanish I at the same time. In college, I specialized in biblical languages and studied both Hebrew and Greek. I began learning American Sign Language (ASL) in 2020 and continue to build fluency. As a science fiction fan, I was drawn to Klingon, a language a linguist developed for Star Trek. For me, languages offer ways to connect with people and understand cultures.

I love to cook, and I am a foodie who is always looking for the next new food experience.

Professional background

My path into higher education began after I was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, ending a 20-year career in third-party medical collections. I returned to San Antonio College (SAC) to learn ASL and began working through Earn On, a grant-funded student employment program. I later became an academic coach in SAC’s Academic Success Center. Through the Early Alert initiative, I contacted at-risk students who would benefit from tutoring and taught workshops on time management, test-taking, and study strategies. Those conversations taught me that every student’s journey is different and that setbacks are not final, nor do they define a person as a failure.

Today I am an Advising Team Support Specialist and front desk supervisor at SAC. I help students overcome enrollment obstacles and connect with the people and resources they need. I also supervise a large team of work-study students. For me, supervision means investing in their professional development and preparing them for opportunities beyond their current jobs.

I earned a B.A. in Bible from LIFE Bible College (now Life Pacific University) in 1999. I later completed coursework toward an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at St. Mary’s University, though I did not complete the practicum required for the degree. In December 2025, I earned SAC’s ASL Level 1 Communicator certificate. I am now pursuing an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at UT San Antonio as a member of the Alamo Colleges District Cohort 6.

I began attending Deaf events and building friendships in the San Antonio Deaf Community. The relationships sharpened my interest in the barriers Deaf students face and the resiliency factors that help them persist in higher education. People matter, and their stories matter. I want my practice to support students as they make changes in their own lives.

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