I grew up in France, and my first educational experience was attending an international school outside of Paris. Students came from dozens of countries, so I was fortunate to grow up among myriad cultures and instructional systems. My family moved to Virginia in time for me to start the fourth grade, and the rest of my education through high school was in the Fairfax County Public School System. Not only did I benefit from attending school in one of the nation's top school systems, but I was immersed in the diversity that comes naturally to a school system so close to Washington, D.C.

Although I studied biology and religious studies at the University of Virginia where I completed my undergraduate work, my heart was always in education. While in college, I tutored children in public schools, taught English to the children of migrant workers, and participated in a biology class that involved teaching biological concepts to students in Charlottesville's public schools.

During my senior year of college, I turned down a job with the C.I.A. to join Teach For America, the national corps of teachers that commits two years to teaching in an under-resourced area. I moved to Baltimore and taught science for two years at West Baltimore Middle School, while completing my master's degree in teaching at Johns Hopkins University. The following year, I helped found KIPP Ujima Village Academy, a public charter school, which currently is the highest-performing public middle school in Baltimore City and one of only a couple schools to consistently meet adequate yearly progress. During my first four years at KIPP, I taught every subject imaginable to every grade, founded and coached the Math Olympiad and National Academic League teams, and served as a mentor to new teachers. In 2005, I received the Kinder Award for Excellence in Teaching for my contributions in the classroom. Also in 2005, I led my students to earn the highest math scores in the state on the Maryland School Assessment.

During my fifth year at KIPP, I moved out of the classroom to serve as Dean of Instruction. In this role, I recruited, trained, supported, and evaluated teachers, and I worked on schoolwide curricular organization, instructional delivery, and assessment.

Although this assistant principal position helped me gain a keener understanding of the workings of a school outside of the classroom, it also made me realize how much I missed teaching kids. I returned to teaching the following year as a biology and health teacher at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly), a public magnet high school that serves students across Baltimore City. I love teaching Poly's diverse student body, which includes many of my former students from KIPP.

Outside of the classroom, I have founded and currently coach the school squash team, serve on the school improvement team, and advise and oversee two student-run organizations.

My free time is devoted mostly to family, friends, the outdoors, sports, and reading.