I A - SNC - MFA-IA

So... I started researching Graduate Programs....

I earned a Masters in Education from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2011.

I have a Masters Education. I don't know if it Masters or Master's. Grammar was never my strength.

M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction - Cerfication in Art Education (PK-12).

Here is part of my teacher story. When I started my higher education journey, I did not know what I would become. I knew I loved art. I loved history. I loved studying about things from all around the world. I loved the stories and the glimpses into other cultures. Both through the lens of time and distance.

We all have patterns. Art is a way that individuals can capture and respond to specific inspirations. We document things. Photographs, recordings, notes, lists. Everything serves a purpose.

I was accepted into the Montgomery Scholars Honors Program at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. The factor that led me into this program was the promise of full scholarship that included a summer of study abroad at the University of Cambridge. I have always been an opportunist and a dreamer. This promise fueled more dreams. I had no idea what to expect in the program. I don't think anyone really knows what to expect in their lives. I was introduced into an interdisciplinary program where history, literature, music, and philosophy where studied together from all around the world throughout time. Mind-blowing! Expansive. Intensive. Challenging.

In this program I was surrounded by some of the most interesting people I have ever known. We were thinkers. Each one an individual with our own skills and interests. Discussions were the best as we reflected upon important paradigm shifts in the past and made connections to our contemporary environments.

I am incredibly thankful for my experiences in the Montgomery Scholars Honors Program.

I wrote an interdisciplinary capstone research thesis - Preserving Identity: Indigenous Art in a Global World. I spent a year studying the art of the Australian Aboriginal tribes and how their traditions preserve thier cultural identity while potentially providing commercial income.

--- Now --- I have an opportunity to go to Australia.

In that last year at Montgomery College, I benefited from an internship at the Smithsonian Institution. I worked for the National Portrait Gallery in their Department of Education with the Docent and Internship Program Manager. This led to a paid position at the National Postal Museum, also in thier Department of Education. Both are centers for the preservation of history through the arts. Don't forget stamps are minature works of art!

I graduated from Montgomery College and transferred to the University of Maryland in 2008. I was free to focus on my passion for art history. I had completed most of my core classes and could spend the rest of my undergraduate career studying art. I knew I wanted a degree that was art related. I could work in a museum again.

I wandered into an art studio late one evening and bumped into a few other students. They were in the Art Education program. After talking to them about the program and attending an information session, I realized that their MCERT Program would grant me a Masters degree and Certification to teach Art (PK-12) in the state of Maryland within a year... if I started taking my professional courses during my undergraduate education. I did it. I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2010 with a Bachelors in Studio Art, minor in Art History.

Student Teaching in Howard County, MD. PRAXIS. Capstone thesis - part deux. Action Research.

I did it all. I even chaperoned a group of high school art students on a trip to Paris, France. I was dedicated. My research focused on creativity and idea generation by students through multi-sensory approaches that promoted exploration of texture. I loved it.

Though I had found a career path towards education, I wasn't quite ready to commit to the schedule of a public school teacher. I spent some time working with a non-profit that had nurtured my creativity when I was high school. Arts on the Block, is an organization that provides opportunities to talented and passionate youth in the area. Their workshops bring together youth from different backgrounds who share an interest in the arts. Through projects, field trips, and special guests, students are introduced to the reality of having a career in the arts. In my time with Arts on the Block, I was an Apprentice, Assistant to the Lead Teacher, Lead Teacher, and Program Manager. I gained so much experience working with Arts on the Block.

I had submitted my application to Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. I figured I had education experience through my positions at the Smithsonian Institution, Arts on the Block and through the professional training from the University of Maryland. Teaching for the county would be the next step.

Here I am in my third year of teaching art at the elementary level. I currently work in three schools and travel from classroom to classroom. I teach Art on the Cart. I see my students once weekly and bring them opportunities to question and explore through the arts, I love what I do.

I would like to have my own classroom one day but before I do, I want to travel/research/work/study abroad. I also want to earn a MFA... as crazy as that seems to me. It was one of my original goals when I was in high school. I am free.

I am starting to research Graduate Programs. The Low Residency MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Sierra Nevada College is appealing.