She teaches 9th grade Earth/Environmental Science and Marine Science. She is the president of the North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA) and High School Division Director for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). She has been a classroom teacher for 17 years. She intends to use the scholarship funds to take students to their local watershed and investigating water quality. Outcomes from this project include students' ability to articulate cause/effect and to generate solutions to water pollution.