Question: When did you decide you wanted to be a teacher?
Answer: In high school and middle school you're figuring out what you want to do, and I don't know why exactly, but I always just knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I started hearing more about Martin Luther College (MLC) from students who were also members of area congregations back home. The more I heard about it, the more it made me want to go too.

My senior year I went on one of MLC's Focus on Ministry trips. There were professors and other students who explained to me how wonderful it is to be able to share God's Word with kids and all the ministry outreach there is. I think that's really what kind of pulled me over.

Question: Was it hard to move away from your family and friends?
Answer: When I came to MLC I didn't know anyone, but then somehow after four or five years I just had this awesome network of friends. I think a lot of it has to do with that Christian bond that everyone shares. That's something that I didn't really experience back home, since I didn't go to parochial school. So definitely, the friends I've made have been a major blessing.

Question: Tell me about your training at MLC.
Answer: Sophomore year you spend a week over spring break actually in a classroom. Junior year you do the same thing: you spend another week in the classroom. You're also assigned to a public school classroom, and you spend one day a week there.

Senior year you do student teaching. I spent nine weeks in a parochial school classroom and five weeks in a public school classroom. Since I did the early childhood program, I had another semester of student teaching at the MLC Early Childhood Center my fifth year. The early childhood program has changed a little bit, but that's what I did to get the double major [in elementary education and early childhood education].

Question: What was it like leading up to call day?
Answer: That last week in May was quite nerve-wracking for me, not knowing where I was going to go, not knowing how many of us were going to get calls, and knowing the situation of the economy today. But it was exciting at the same time too, and it was kind of nice to know that it was out of my hands. I mean God already had a plan; it was already taken care of. He already knew where I was going, so I just had to sit back and enjoy all of the exciting times before graduation.

Question: So your call was to Escondido, and now you're getting settled in. What is on your plate between now and the start of the school year?