I went to Lyon College in Batesville, AR, where I studied history.  I worked hard and graduated Magna Cum Laude (almost the highest grade).  From there, I went to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and earned a Master's degree in Political Science.  

 

After college, I moved to Boston.  In 1998, I did something that changed my life.  I applied for and was accepted into the Teach For America program, which places teachers in cities that have a hard time finding good teachers.  I was sent to Newark, New Jersey, where I taught 4th grade.   Even though is was very challenging, I fell in love with teaching. 

 

I believed in Teach For America so much that I eventually became the director of the program in New Orleans, where I worked very hard to help the public schools, and I was able to meet some neat people, like Emeril Lagasse and Laura Bush.

 

I have a lot of hobbies outside of teaching.  I like to read, jog, play tennis, travel, cook and hang out at my lake house on Greer's Ferry Lake.  I also volunteer at the Little Rock Zoo.