Ever since my family got our first home computer in 1995, I have been fascinated with instructional technology. My sister and I would spend hours with our educational computer games; I couldn't get enough of the immersive experiences that they provided. It felt like going to another world, and at the time I didn't even realize it was educational!
About two decades later, I discovered that instructional technology would be an ideal fit for me. Shortly after graduating from NC State University, I landed my first full-time job working at my alma mater. I realized that my favorite responsibility was providing hands-on technological instruction to students and faculty. I also yearned to share my creativity and to foster a pro-active approach to the obstacles they were facing. I was delighted to find Appalachian State University's Master of Arts program in Educational Media/Instructional Technology on a top ten list of best schools for that particular concentration. My first semester in the program was spent abroad in Europe, as I decided to take full advantage of the program being completely online and immerse myself in a 4-month solo backpacking trip. Since then, I have honed my skills in delivering faculty consultations to determine ideal andragogical and technological solutions to their challenges, researching and implementing emerging instructional design trends, project management, content development, and digital accessibility.