About me

As one of four children, I grew up learning how to listen to others’ feelings, share ideas, and create fun group activities. My siblings and I moved to about ten different states during our childhood which required me to be adaptable, understanding, and take initiative.

I began to babysit other kids around my neighborhood at the age of thirteen and my love for childcare has continued since. I have been a camp counselor at a Spanish immersion summer camp, coached youth volleyball, tutored kids after school in reading and math, and cared for numerous families over the past nine years. I have also been a volunteer translator and sustainability developer with a medical brigade in Honduras where I taught dental hygiene to children through songs and skits.

In college, I studied Cognitive Neuroscience, Spanish, and Art because of my passion for intellectual, cultural, and creative growth. My current passion project—writing a children’s book—has sprouted from my research background in the psychology of mixed ethnic and racial identity formation and my artistic background in illustration. This combination of interests allows me to appreciate the strength of sharing ideas, especially in the interest of having honest and open dialogue during a child’s development.

While in my first year of college I babysat a few times for a family with a fourteen-year-old boy with autism and a nine-year-old girl. Through making crafts together, I balanced the needs of each child. The girl was interested in creative activities, and the boy was engaged by tactile things like holding clay in his hands. In order to keep things running smoothly, I kept both kids actively involved by asking them questions and encouraging conversation between them.

During college, I also took care of the household for a family with a four-year-old boy and a dog. I took care of household chores (washing dishes, dusting, sweeping, taking the dog out, etc) over the course of a long weekend. Both the boy and the dog had strict eating schedules so I ensured that we always came in from playing outside in time for meals to be prepped.

While reliably watching children under the guidelines set by the parents, I enjoy speaking to children as though they are my peers. I think it is important to have interesting conversation while also making plenty of time for inclusive, hands-on activities. With my artistic background and experience with a large family, I love to encourage creative activities both inside and outside; for example, we can draw and design our own rocket ships, then write a story about space exploration in our rocket ships, and then act out the adventure in the park. It is an honor to be trusted by parents to care for those who are most precious to them so I promise to be actively engaged, responsible, and warm to each family I work with.