Introduction

Inspiring young minds in the very classroom I discovered my love for art.

Kalamazoo Excelsior Newspaper Article September 2023. Portrait from MSU Graduation Photos 2021.

What Led Me Here

I always say becoming an art teacher was one of those things we artists call a "happy accident." I spent my last year in undergrad pregnant with a babygirl, and after graduating the only thing on my mind was having a safe delivery. One year into motherhood, I was ready to enter the work force again. However, I was returning with a new brain that wanted something totally different than the person pictured above.

Now— with a tiny human watching me, absorbing my habits and becoming a mirror— my desires shifted and the career I chose needed to be both meaningul and fulfilling. A year postpartum I ran into my older sister's 3rd grade teacher from back in the day at a banquet, she had just been hired as a principal and I jokingly offered "If you need an Art Teacher, call me!" To my surprise, she responded "We actually do need an art teacher!" and the rest was history.

Teaching Art Where I Learned Art

Bulletin board in my classroom.

Fast forward to today and I am currently working as an elementary Art Teacher in Kalamazoo, MI at two schools— one of which being the elementary school I attended as a child. Teaching art within the community I was raised has been such a unique experience. Being molded by the same surroundings and environment of my students has allowed me to connect with, and understand, them on a deeper level.

As a black woman, raised in the inner city, I see the younger version of myself within so many of my students. The frequency of hardships, sacrifices, and losses seemingly work against one's success, and without the right support the pressure is easy to succumb. As an educator to young developing minds, I want to embody this nature of support. Most importantly, I want to educate my classrooms on the ways in which we can resist these obstacles through the act of artmaking. Combining the knowledge I gain from earning a MA in Art Education along with the insight that comes from sharing a similar storyline with my students will provide me with the tools to do so.

#Identity #Introduction #whoamI

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Young Artists 2026 Exhibit (Lincoln International Elementary Panel)