After Carleton, I joined AmeriCorps*VISTA and ran an after school and tutoring program in a public elementary school in Riverside, CA. I also established a new partnership between the school district and the arts council, which brought artists into the schools and a local community center. I developed a passion for education and interest in how the arts could promote student engagement and learning, especially for high-need students.

I next made my way to Washington, D.C., where I worked for a national arts advocacy organization for two years. There, I promoted the role of the arts in federal education legislation and in schools across the country.  Wanting to sharpen my research and policy chops, I went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned a master’s degree, focusing on arts education and education policy.

By this point, I realized I had a knack for numbers (who would have guessed – I was an art major!) and took a job as a research analyst for the KIPP Foundation, which operates a national network of high-performing charter schools. I worked with both data and teachers – a rare combination that I loved – and was eventually promoted to research director.

I left after five years to join a California education advocacy organization, the Education Trust—West, where I am director of research and policy. Through research, I surface inequities facing students in California and propose policy solutions that will help close achievement gaps. I enjoy working with data, dealing with urgent policy issues, and having an impact on students.

Eventually I may return to arts education, but in the meantime I’m happy to nurture my love for the arts by attending open studios, occasionally making prints, and helping my one-year-old learn to draw—which so far mostly means keeping the crayons out of her mouth.