I was born and raised in Central Oregon where my passion for science education and biology was cultivated by spending every minute I could outdoors. I attended Madras Elementary, Jefferson County Middle school and Redmond High School before going on to Portland State University where I earned an B.S. in Science, an M.S. in Biology and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. I have lived most of my life in Oregon but also lived for a time in Tokyo, Japan. My hobbies include camping, hiking, fishing, traveling to Hawaii, gardening and cooking big meals for my family. I have a husband, Landon, and two beautiful children, Riley and Chase. We also have two little dogs Emma and Darwin and a cat named Lucy.