About me

I grew up in North Carolina and was homeschooled by my mom--a brilliant educator, pediatric speech and occupational therapist, and now-play therapist--alongside my two younger siblings. When I wasn't studying, I enjoyed reading, writing, horseback riding, and competing on a gymnastics team. I babysat for neighborhood children from age ten onward; while in a dual-degree high school program, I spent two years working as an aide in my mom's play therapy clinic and another as a full-time nanny.

While a full-time high school student taking classes at a community college, I cared for two children (aged 4 and 1.5), taking the oldest to and from school each day and the youngest to music and ballet class, children's museums and playgrounds, libraries for story time, and playdates with friends. I prepared breakfast, packed lunches, and made snacks and dinner. In the afternoons, the girls and I baked, did crafts, and read books. Our favorite activity was going on "coffee dates" to chat and connect.

During the summers, I coached gymnastics and soccer, taught ballet and art, and led a children's theater camp. I even hosted YMCA birthday parties dresses as Princess Elsa during the Frozen frenzy! Upon graduating in 2016, I moved to New York to study fiction writing. I worked in cafes and restaurants, as a production assistant for NBC, and as a full-time nanny.

In 2021, I began a distance undergraduate program at Harvard, where I concentrate in English Literature. I will graduate 2025 and begin a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in Fall 2026 with the goal of becoming a trauma-informed play therapist.

As a child, I had wonderful caregivers who made an enormous impact on me and I feel lucky to get to do the same. The children I currently nanny always tell me that I'm "a grown-up who's as silly and fun as a kid" and, at the risk of tooting my own horn, I agree! I hope to never lose my childlike excitement and energy and am grateful for a job that allows me to play.

I firmly believe that being a kid is one of the most difficult and frustrating experiences a person has, and so I try to approach each child with patience, compassion, and empathy above all.