Why did you choose this position?
"The CDC position I chose because my heart is with my special needs kids, especially the severe and moderate to severe. My mom had two brain surgeries. So her first one was when I was in second grade. And her tumor was so big that it made her brain go all the way to one side. And then the tumor actually grew into the fold. So she needed to relearn how to walk-she needed to relearn how to talk-she needed to relearn how to do her job (she was a teacher). So while I was in second grade, I was helping my mom do all this. I was quizzing her; I was helping her to learn everything again. And then whenever I was in college, my first year of college, she had another brain surgery because the tumor came back. And so I had to help her after my finals, she was actually having surgery during my biology final. And it kind of spoke to me, I loved helping her to relearn everything."

What is your favorite part of this job?
"Watching the kids grow, not only physically but like mentally, like, if you look at some of my students from when they first came in ninth grade, to where they are now. I mean, they have improved leaps and bounds. And I think that's just great. And I love being a part of that."

What is the funniest moment you've experienced while working at South Fulton?
"So I drink coffee in the morning. And sometimes I get very frustrated. And one of my students made the connection that if I get frustrated, I go and drink some coffee. And so he refers to my frustration as the Hulk. And he saw me getting frustrated at one moment and he goes, "You drink coffee, you make Hulk go away." And that has been the funniest moment I've ever had in my teaching career."

What was your dream job while growing up?
"Um, well, if you had asked me in fifth grade, I wanted to teach at a Native American reservation because we used to go on vacation to the Native American reservations in the Carolinas. So that was my dream, dream job. But then if you asked me in high school, I was wanting to be a vet. I actually went three years of college with a pre vet. Major and then my last year of college, I changed it. "

Where did you go to school?
"Somerville, Tennessee. And then I went to college at UT Martin. And then I got my master's at Arizona State University and now I'm going to North Central for my doctorate. "