Though I was born in the New York City area, I spent the second half of my life–and nearly my entire adult life– in Honolulu. Then, my husband and I decided to move to San Francisco to help out his parents during the pandemic. I currently split my time between San Francisco and Santa Rosa. Since I am still learning and adjusting to living in the Bay Area, I’m always open to learning about new places to explore.

My college education started at New York University and Rutgers University where I majored in theater arts and speech; I was a professional stage performer and vocalist (AEA) in the NYC area. Most recently, I occasionally perform in the Bay Area since I am a classically trained singer and musical theater performer.

Then, I graduated with a Master’s in Speech from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. When I earned the CertTESOL (certificate) from Trinity College London right after my undergraduate students, I began teaching in various international and ESL programs in New Jersey and Hawaii. Since then, I have earned the Graduate Certificate in Teaching Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and the Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from UC Irvine.

I’ve been in education for over twenty years and have extensive experience teaching test prep (SAT, ACT, and TOEFL); English language (ESL/TESOL) and writing; public speaking and performance; and theater and drama. This explains why I currently teach in the Silicon Valley Intensive English Program at Cañada College (Redwood City, CA). I am also a longtime professional college planner and academic life coach.