I am originally from San Jose, California, where the sun always shines, and the beach is not too far away. I became a teacher due to the great experiences I had with my own teachers; I always felt seen, heard and supported, and I knew that I wanted to be like them. I am in my 20th year of teaching after stops in Haiti, San Antonio, Chile and 14 years in San Francisco. I started as an English teacher of foreign languages and then converted to a Spanish teacher upon moving back from South America, a job I originally never wanted. I applied to be a high school English teacher, and the principal, Patrick Ruff said, "But you speak Spanish" and thus began my career. I found the first year to be insanely difficult and the second year to be ridiculously fun. My wife and I decided to get away from the California grind and move to a rural town to be close to the mountains and close to her family. We and our two children are so happy to be here at Alturas.