While in high school, I was working part-time at a beauty shop as a customer service representative. I noticed that I had a natural knack for sales; I enjoyed talking to people and selling them what they needed. When I was graduating high school, it was not easy to secure a teaching position. These factors led me to give business a try, and if it didn't end up being what I wanted long term, I could always find my way to teaching afterwards. Essentially, this is what happened.  

I completed a four-year Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) at the University of Ottawa and acquired lots of professional sales and marketing experience. I worked as a management trainee, marketing coordinator, sales representative in the automotive industry, and an outside sales representative in the tile/flooring industry. Needless to say, I tried a little bit of everything - and learned plenty! Although there were many aspects to my roles that I truly did enjoy, surpassing my sales quota and generating revenue for the businesses I worked for weren't motivating me to my fullest potential.

When I was working in my sales representative role in the automotive industry, I had Mondays as one of my days off. For three months, I went back to my old high school to volunteer as a classroom/teacher's helper and worked directly with students as well as taught a few lessons while being supervised. I knew teaching was in my cards when the day passed by before I knew it and everything that I was doing genuinely did not feel like work; I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. However, I didn't know when was the right time to make the career change. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I was temporarily laid off in my last business position, it made me really reflect on how the world can change in an instant and that time is truly precious. I decided that it was finally the right time to make the change and that if I was going to make the change, I would teach what I was most passionate about. I subsequently went back to school to take seven English courses and three French courses from three different universities online for an entire year, and the rest now is history.

I am very grateful for my business experience, as it has so far served me greatly in my practicum experience. I am very comfortable and confident speaking in front of the students, building rapport with them, and tailoring my teaching to their specific needs. I can be fun, energetic, and engaging while still setting a precedent for students to do their best and challenge themselves to achieve their potential. My business background has helped build connections with fellow staff members as we each work towards our common education goals together.

Aside from my business experience, I hope to merge some of my extra-curricular hobbies into my teaching career. During high school, I played soccer and field hockey, which I would love to coach someday. I also played the clarinet for seven years, from the 7th to 12th grade and have always had a soft spot for music. I am very much into health, food, nutrition, and fitness, so perhaps you may find me starting a cooking club or running club. As a languages teacher, I am an avid reader, movie watcher, and podcast listener. I also really enjoy the outdoors as well as travelling. Finally, I care for two furry friends at home - I have two adorable kittens and have lots of love for animals in general.

I am looking forward to completing the rest of my B.E.D. with the University of Ottawa and am very much looking forward to being an Ontario teacher very soon. Please see the rest of my site to get an idea about my educational philosophy, as well as some of the work I've done during my candidacy.

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