OPINION: I loved serving our students. Now, I want to serve our state.

Similar to a lot of young people, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life after high school.

I started my career as a paralegal, then I became a project manager. But neither job was how I wanted to spend my life. I wanted a job where I could help my community.

Then, I found my calling and decided to become a teacher. After graduating from Grand Canyon University, I started my teaching career as a first-grade teacher in the Deer Valley school district, the same district where both of my daughters now attend.

Teaching was incredibly rewarding but it gave me a front-row seat to the challenges our students and educators face. This only deepened my commitment to ensure that every student in our community can succeed.

Unfortunately, after my daughter faced some developmental issues, I made the tough decision to leave the classroom to make sure she had the support she needed. While she was thriving at home, the classroom was different. Arizona has some of the largest class sizes in the nation – my daughter’s classroom had 29 students, and unfortunately, this is a story that’s all too common across our district and state.

Our students deserve better. Without strong public schools, we risk our students falling behind and being unprepared for future jobs as business owners, doctors, engineers, mechanics, or electricians. Without strong public schools, we risk undoing the progress our state has made attracting world-class companies and the thousands of good-paying jobs they bring.

That’s why I decided to run for the Deer Valley school board, a seat I won in 2022.

Since then, I’ve been focused on working to make our district work better for our students and community. Last year, we donated 200 pairs of shoes to our Title I schools to make sure that every student was ready for school. This year, we introduced a new program offering education and training in construction to students to address the shortage of construction workers.

We became one of two districts in the valley to offer an Early Head Start program, bringing down the cost of childcare and reducing barriers to work. We opened Ann E’s Closet and Pantry, helping provide members of our community with clothing and food.

And we have almost eliminated our shortage of teachers.

In just two short years, I’ve been able to help accomplish ambitious goals at the school board level. However, I know much more can be done at the state level to help our schools and students succeed. It’s why I am running to represent LD2 in the State House – we need legislators who understand that every child deserves to have the best opportunity to thrive.

With your support, that’s what we will be able to accomplish when I am elected this November.