I grew up in Montclair, an eclectic town in Essex county.  After graduating high school, I completed Katharine Gibbs School and worked for former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley. 

In 1998, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from New Jersey City University (NJCU).  During my senior year at NJCU, I served as a student delegate and represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines with students from 33 colleges and universities in Model Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Washington, DC where I learned about international diplomacy, cooperation, and the inter-American system.

While completing my undergraduate studies, I had my first exposure to the education field, working as a Substitute Teacher and Home Instructor with The Newark Public Schools.  After graduating, my intent was to become a social worker.  I worked with a variety of populations including offenders, the mentally ill and chemically-dependent adults and youth in addition to pursuing my Master of Social Work degree at Rutgers University.  I relocated to Maryland for a little over a year and was employed by the Government of the District of Columbia's Youth Services Administration at Oak Hill Youth Center, a maximum-security youth detention facility, as a primary treatment counselor.

After returning to New Jersey and deciding to change careers for the first time, I began working in human resources for the retail chain,  Lechters, Inc. followed by Columbia University.  As a result of a poor economy, my consulting contract was not renewed at Columbia, thus opening the door for me to pursue a lifelong dream of attending culinary school.  As a magna cum laude graduate of the Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) at Hudson County Community College, I had the honor of representing the CAI as a student honor delegate at the National Restaurant Association's Salute to Excellence conference in Chicago and was asked to work with at-risk/special needs Hudson County high school seniors as a Chef/Teaching Assistant during the 2003-2004 school year.

Following the completion of my culinary studies, I started a small home-based etiquette consulting and catering business, Savoury Celebrations.  After often experiencing a strong desire to work with and help today's youth, I returned to my roots in the education field, The Newark Public Schools as a Substitute and summer school Social Studies Teacher at Weequahic High School.

In September 2004, I began my first full-time year of teaching with the Orange Township Public Schools at Main Street School as a Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher for grades six through eight.  I enjoy teaching Family and Consumer Sciences, because it allows me teach applicable real-world life skills and assist my colleagues by sneaking in core academic subjects through the students' lens of relevance.

I have decided to pursue a graduate program in Educational Technology with a specialization in School Library Media in order to equip myself with the skills to draw practical and pedagogical connections across media, the NJCCCS, technology as well as learning in school curricula and other educational programs.  It is my intent to work with students of all ages in meeting the increasing need to demonstrate greater facility with both print and non-print sources in addition to providing reading guidance to students who have special reading problems.  As a competent education professional, I want to possess and be able to demonstrate the knowledge necessary to collaborate with educators on all levels in addressing the real needs of education in the 21st Century, especially those requiring the extended use of library resources.