Professionally Speaking!

Raised in the East End of Pittsburgh, PA; I graduated from George Westinghouse High School Class of 2000. Since I was a kid, I've loved to talk! My siblings and I played school just as some kids play house (nerds are cool and get revenge, so don't judge us! lol). I fell into the profession of teaching after high school and began as a Paraprofessional for children enrolled in SPED. I left education and pursued my passion career as an Artist/ Fashion Designer and graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with my Bachelors of Science degree in Fashion Design & Retail Management.

I returned to working in education as a Substitute Art Teacher until graduating from Chatham University with a Masters of Arts in Teaching & Pre K-12 Art Teaching Certification. I have been drawn to the service of education because, I had amazing teachers in my last years of High School that invested time into shaping my views about self worth, future possibilities, and the power of cultivating a positive support system. I am a natural advisor and have always been in the company of children as a baby sitter and young mother. I love to read and research information to share. I figure, if I'm going to talk, I better be knowledgeable and have something important to say.

Community Arts Talk!

My family and I love to travel, stay busy in the city, and take adventures to discover new things! My public art journey began August 2022, with my experience driving home one day with my daughters and they complained about the comparison of our “gray” neighborhood of Rankin to the vibrant cityscape of Pittsburgh and other places we visit. They asked if we could move away. As an artist and concerned parent, I jumped into action and began drafting up a letter for the borough's council to approve my plan of action to rehab an abandoned bus shelter because it was an eye sore. It hurt me that my children were not proud of our neighborhood.

I began to realize the unconscious negative impact that weighed down on the residents that were subject to driving past mounds of construction debris, ripped siding from businesses, overgrown shrubbery, dead trees, and broken down cars. With the council's permission, encouragement from the residents, and grassroots fundraising; My family and I began cleaning and painting the bus shelter and later a couple park benches. It’s still a work in progress but will be complete this summer of 2023.

I participated in the Philadelphia Mural Arts fellowship program during the Jan- Feb 2023 cohort and I learned how vital the people are in "participatory community arts". The transformation and bonding does not just happen in the presence of art. The real work is always in the collaborative process of bonding towards a common goal, a village mindset , and offering ongoing support that benefits the people. Since then, I've been determined to expand my public art education advocacy beyond the classroom, into my neighborhood of Rankin and beyond to other black, brown, and Indigenous under-served communities.

" If you don't like what you see, change it! if you can't change it, change your attitude!" ~ Maya Angelou

My portfolio of work in Rankin, PA

Public Art Murals & More to come

Contact To Talk!