Teaching
It All Began with a Mouse
My junior year, I had the magical opportunity to spend one semester working for The Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida. I loved my time there because my sole job was to make families happy. When I returned to college after my time at Disney, I wanted to continue working with children and bringing them joy. I ended up landing a job at the Sooner Theatre, a performing arts studio in Oklahoma.
Backstage Magic
I was hired as a production assistant for Sooner Theatre's youth productions. Soon afterwards, I had the opportunity to teach a summer camp where I wrote, choreographed, and directed two musical theatre productions involving k-2nd graders and 3-7th graders. During my senior year, I was hired as assistant director and stage manager for their youth production. I was also a regular sub for dance, acting, and singing classes.
Shakespeare for Kids
For my senior Capstone project at OU, I researched Shakespeare education for elementary and middle-school children. This project allowed me to combine my love of kids with my love of the bard. After researching different methods and strategies of Shakespeare education, I crafted two lesson plans using the techniques and exercises I learned. A few weeks later, I had the opportunity to teach 2 fifth grade classes about Shakespeare.
Combining My 3 Passions
In Winter of 2019, I was hired as a teacher at Christian Youth Theater Dallas. CYT is a national organization and the largest youth theater program in the nation. I got to combine 3 of my passions as I introduced my students to musical theatre and Christianity through the lens of Disney. As the teacher for the youngest students in the program (4-7 yrs), I have learned how to effectively communicate with and instruct kids of this age group.