Assistant Professor Computer Technology, STEM
I have had a love for technology from a young age. My parents like to remind me that, even as a small child, I was already showing them new things on the computer. I’ve always had a gift for math and science which lends itself to the computer science (CS) field. I was home-schooled for my entire academic career, aside from the classes I took at National Park Community College (NPCC) during high school. When I was 15, I enrolled at National Park Community College and by the time I finished high school, I had earned 18 college credits. When I was pursuing my Associate of Science degree, I was not sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to eventually work at National Park College (NPC). Even as a high school student, I loved my experience here. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be working here, and I wanted to work in a place like that. When I became a full-time college student, I started taking computer science courses simply because I enjoyed computers and needed additional hours to meet scholarship requirements. I enjoyed these classes so much that I decided to major in computer science. After completing my associate's degree, I transferred to Henderson State University and took several computer science courses but ultimately shifted my major ever so slightly. I earned a minor in computer science and majored in Computer Science and Business Technology Education—becoming the first computer science education major in the state of Arkansas. Soon after, I became the computer science teacher at a local high school. I had great experiences and learned a lot during my four years there. In 2021, I saw an opening for a computer science instructor here at NPC and I had to take the chance—it was honestly my dream job. I'm happy to say working here exceeded my expectations. NPC is a wonderful place to work and attend classes, and I genuinely love my job. I bring a unique perspective as an NPC alum that took classes in person and online, a former high school teacher, and now a college instructor. These experiences help me understand situations from many points of view and make fair, informed judgments. I would describe my teaching style as guided and straightforward—I avoid fluff, explain concepts as simply as possible, and meet students wherever they are. I often follow the ‘I do, we do, you do’ method of modeling and scaffolding—meaning I show you how to do something, I guide you with me, and then I ask you to try it independently, but I still provide assistance and feedback as needed. One of the main reasons I got into education is because it irritated me when someone taught in an overly complicated, unhelpful way. My main goal is to help students learn, get their degrees/certifications, and hopefully improve their lives overall. My hobbies vary, but the activities I have enjoyed most consistently are reading and playing video games—especially with my husband.
