Tell us a little bit about you and your background.

I grew up in Ossining, New York and discovered my love of art at age 13 when I was a freshman in high school. I got a BFA in Painting at Washington University in St. Louis, and then ended up going to Japan to teach English. I thought I was going for only one year, but it turned into almost ten! I spent my free time there learning Japanese, traveling, painting, singing karaoke, hiking, going to hot springs, and writing songs to sing live with my indie rock band, which I started with some fellow expat coworkers. Best of all, I found out I really loved and excelled at teaching. I was promoted to a Trainer position after five years, a role in which I dedicated myself to helping other English teachers grow. I was responsible for training and coaching teachers to ensure retention of Pre-K through high school students across their 70+ branch schools around the greater Tokyo area. I also organized and led the summer camp for 2nd-5th grade students every year, which was always a blast! Finally, in 2017 I decided to return to NY and apply to graduate school, so I could bring art to the forefront of my life again. I got my MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute in the Spring of 2020, and worked on my art during the height of the pandemic. In the Spring of 2021, I discovered One River School and knew I had found my home!

What attracted you to work at One River School?

I was instantly attracted to One River because our business model is so similar to ECC, the language school I worked at in Tokyo. From that experience, I already knew that I loved teaching people of all ages, from pre-k all the way to adults. I was used to working in an organization that was both a school and a business, and understood that both sides of the operation were equally important and required close collaboration. As a result, the work environment just made sense to me, and it allowed me the opportunity to finally combine my art degrees with my past experience in teaching, training, teacher management, and customer service. As an interdisciplinary artist myself, I also appreciated that the focus was on contemporary art, and that there were chances to teach both 2D and 3D studio art forms.

How would you describe your role here?

I am the Director of Education at Larchmont One River. I see myself in a partnership with my Director, working closely in collaboration with her, while handling the day to day running of the school on the Education and Facilities side of the business. This includes, but is not limited to maintaining our studios and facilities, managing and coaching our teachers, and building community at the school and in the neighborhood. All of this contributes to my efforts to retain students, by making sure they have the best experience possible at One River!

What do you think we do best at One River?

I think it’s great that we are so flexible and offer a lot of options for students. We have many classes in an array of topics for all age groups, and it’s amazing that students can jump into any class or switch to a different one at any time of year. I think the camps are an especially awesome experience for our students.

Is there a special One River moment that stands out for you?

There are too many to mention! I love those moments when my teachers or students challenge themselves and realize they have grown and can do more than they realized. I especially love doing the Mini Exhibitions at the end of camps because all the students, teachers, staff, and parents come together in community to support each other and it’s a beautiful, glorious thing that makes me happy and all warm and fuzzy inside.

What do you enjoy outside of One River?

I love working on my ceramic sculptures at Clay Art Center in Portchester, cuddling with my cat while reading a good book and drinking a nice mug of herbal tea, going for hikes with my partner Oliver, and collaborating remotely on songs with my band Das Yukon.