Educational Lineage

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I have been an artist for as long as I can remember.  My art teachers were some of the most influential people in my life.  My elementary art school teacher Mrs. McKinney was one of the first guiding lights in my path towards becoming an artist. My middle school art teacher Mrs. Rodriguez introduced me to film photography and the darkroom. My high school years were filled with four-hour blocks of art classes each day. I was surrounded by teachers whose entire purpose seemed to revolve around preparing me for a life-long career in art. I was accepted into Cooper Union in New York City and thrived as a young art student. My professors were experts in their field and challenged us immensely.  Undergrad was followed by graduate school at University of Michigan where I pursued a Masters in painting. All these educational experiences and positive interactions with teachers have laid the foundation for my pursuit of a career in art education. Yet, my motivation for teaching is multi-faceted. 

First, my faith compels me to be someone who gives of myself to others out of who I am; I am an artist. Translator M.T.H. Sadler writes, “Modern artists are beginning to realize their social duties. They are the spiritual teachers of the world, and for their teaching to have weight, it must be comprehensible.”(1)  I am quite driven by social justice. I do not separate my faith from justice. I want the students I teach to know the importance of art in the world and the potential art has to heal, inspire, and transform.  I want the children in my community (Detroit) to have access to living artists, high quality art experiences, art materials, and art spaces. This has driven me to start my own non-profit organization centered around art and education. Pursuing my teaching certificate is not only for myself; it is also for those I hope to inspire to become artists and teachers. I am eager to connect creatively, emotionally, and socially with the students I will teach in the coming years and pour into them what was so lovingly and thoughtfully poured into me.

(1)  Kandinsky, Wassily. Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Translated with an introduction by M.T.H. Sadler. Translators Introduction. Copyright ⓒ 1977 by Dover Publications.