I was honored to receive a Dare to Dream grant from the Front Royal Women’s Resource Center in 2016. Thanks to this help, I was able to take the last of four classes needed to earn my Virginia teaching license. The skills that I learned through the Design and Development of Instruction class at the University of Virginia – Wise Center for Teaching Excellence were a great addition to my toolbox of teaching skills! At the time, I was transitioning from a career as an environmental scientist to a career in high school education. I was excited about sharing my love of science and the natural world with students in our community. The financial support that the grant provided gave my family a little extra breathing room as I was already teaching full time at a private school as well as raising two young children while taking the online education courses.
Today, I am in my fifth year of teaching at Mountain Vista Governor’s School, which provides half-day advanced science, math, and humanities instruction to public school students from seven surrounding counties. I absolutely love my job because I get to work with curious and engaged students as well as a phenomenal group of co-workers. I cannot imagine a more perfect work environment and gaining my VA teaching license was an integral step on my path. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two years of teaching have been challenging, but also gave me a chance to reflect and refocus my lesson design, again putting to use the skills learned in my teaching classes. I am currently also building on that education by taking courses to earn a certification in Gifted Education, to better support the community of students at MVGS.
After receiving the grant, I also became more involved in the WRC. One of my favorite experiences was volunteering on the Dare to Dream grant committee last year which afforded me the opportunity to meet many inspiring women in our community. It felt great to play a small part in helping so many worthy students and businesswomen take a step closer to their dreams! I also had the privilege of moderating a virtual event highlighting the women in our community who have worked to battle domestic violence – an issue that is unfortunately still pervasive in our region and elsewhere. It was humbling to hear the stories, the emotion, and the hope that these women had to share. I am grateful that the WRC exists in Front Royal, to help build a stronger and more enriched community for everyone.