I was born and raised in Southern California. I started working with children when I was a young child and my mother had a childcare in our home. (I vividly remember coming home from kindergarten with daycare kids in the car.) As I got older, despite many circumstances, I never lost sight of the joy of childhood. Therefore, I maintained my passion for working with young people, and it always involved music in some facet. This is of course because music, particularly singing, has also been a passion of mine since just before I began singing in the Trinity Baptist Church youth choir when I was about 6 years old. Although I was extremely shy, my singing journey was cultivated within the church in tandem with my walk with Christ. I’ve always understood my voice as a gift from God; that it can’t exist without my relationship with His Son, Jesus. My experience in the youth choir was an essential part of my vocal and spiritual development until I turned 18 years old at which time, I began studying music in college. Throughout my college career and continuing now, this gift of singing through my spiritual growth remained at the forefront of my purpose. I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities to observe and work closely with children and youth through music. Whether it be through multi-member choral groups or 1-on-1 private lessons, I live to see and experience the joy of a student when they master new vocal techniques, aural skills, and music reading abilities. The excitement on their face and in their singing as I get excited and pump them up is so invigorating for my students and myself! My relationships with children thrive best when we can be unapologetically ourselves – genuine, empathetic, curious, enthusiastic, exploratory, and sensitive – and this is what I seek most in every opportunity in which I am privileged to engage with children.