​Each one of my students holds a special place in my heart – ten years, thousands of students and parents – it’s been a long journey towards understanding in an effort to provide the resources that these children need so desperately.  Yet, it’s been those profoundly gifted students who present with social and communicative inadequacies – often deemed as “quirky behaviors,” and in extreme situations, autism spectrum disorder(ASD), that invoke a sense of urgency in my own professional ambitions.

I'm young enough to remember sitting down to take standardized tests each year.  I'm also old enough to remember a time when we didn't take standardized tests.  I became deeply invested in lobbying for educational reforms at a very young age.  My mom was elected to our local school board.  By middle school, I was helping to put together educational programs for gifted students.  This, in turn, allotted me plenty of opportunities to learn about our school systems -- both past and present.  Over the years, I've watched the overall goal of our education system shift  dramatically -- rapidly becoming a 12 year sentence for our children to survive, not thrive.  ​