From the moment I first stepped into a classroom, I knew I wanted to teach. Throughout my entire educational journey, my entire goal has been to become the educator I most needed in my formative and adolescent years. 

Theatre saved my life – and after years of training and education, I get to spend my days paying that magic forward. As an director and educator, I believe in the radical power of joy, the thrill of reinvention, and the absolute necessity of making space at the table for everyone.

In the classroom, I want to witness daily miracles – that moment when a student realizes their perspective matters, when they try something brave and it works, when they find their people. I am a product of each of my educators, past and present. My teaching philosophy is simple: you belong here, your voice is needed, and together we're going to make something wonderful. In a world where uncertainty has become certain, theatre has remained a playground requiring effort, love, passion, and clarity.

I strive to be able to shape the minds of young people who want to learn about theatre, particularly those who may be quieter than the rest – or the ones that might put more pressure on themselves than others. Most importantly, I want to make a difference in young minds. I want them to know that they can be anything they want to be, regardless of how it might contradict what they already know about themselves.

When I cast a female-identifying George in Sunday in the Park with George, it wasn't about rejecting tradition; it was about uncovering new layers of beauty in a story I adore. There's such delight in taking something familiar and saying "What if?" What if we heard this story through a different voice? What if we let these characters surprise us again? My goal for my productions is to fill them with color, music, and playful transformations – because theatre at its best should feel like opening a gift.

Theatre isn't just my job – it's my playground, my sanctuary, and my lifelong love story. And like all the best love stories, it's meant to be shared. What better way is there to share theatre than through the next generation?