Why teaching?  When I teach every step of the design process, the art skills, techniques, that allow us to produce and express an idea, and the use of tools to our own need- I am in my element.

My choice of being an educator has to do with my passion and my wish to share. Through my interest in teaching, in some ways, I hope to influence the future. I truly believe in children and their strong imagination and creativity. They are brilliant. My role is to be their facilitator. I aim and work to instill in them, the habit of preserving their existing sense of curiosity, to challenge them. Children are carriers of a phenomenal capacity for innovation. It is ok to be wrong and take a chance, approach things with a sense of humor. If we are afraid to be wrong we will never come up with anything original.

What makes Walgrove a special place?  I believe all schools are special just by being the place that is supposed to feed, stimulate, nourish and shape children’s mind. My desire to work not just in any institution, but in a public school, motivates me to offer my very best to teach all kids. Walgrove is located in Venice, California, there is so much happening around us during an exciting time of creative progress, I feel like we have an opportunity, as a community, to do the same. Have a forward thinking approach to education. We are blessed with a very diverse community, and a positive, determined, enthusiastic population of parents. There is a growth mindset at Walgrove that I appreciate.

Who/what inspires you?  Inspiration is a curious theory. I find the amount of influences that affect my nature and creativity is countless, and to pinpoint a true inspiration is difficult. My surroundings inspire me, simple and sophisticated things, situations, the diversity of people, information I come across daily. I am influenced by my past, by my parents and their work, my family, the different countries and cultures I grew up in, my obsession for industrial design and what I studied. I am fascinated by my students and their perspective and vision, and how they translate their ideas into a tangible form.

If you were not teaching, what would you be doing?  I would aspire to be working in the Art Therapy field. A form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of painting, drawing, modeling, as an aid to diagnosis. To improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well being. I would still be using the arts to our minds’ benefit.