Education        

M.A.T. Art Education, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, May 2011

B.F.A. Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2005     

Relevant Experiences  

Art Teacher                                                                                 August 2011 - present

 Green Street Academy, Baltimore, Maryland

• Teach art classes across 4 grades to approximately 200 students per year.
• Founding art teacher for the school.
• Develop and implement art curriculum that simulataneously remediates basic art skills, builds confidence and pushes students' conceptual thinking.

Special Education Teacher                                               August 2008 - July 2009

 Perspectives Charter High School of Technology, Chicago, Illinois

• Planned and implemented challenging curriculum for 9th and 10th grade English, History and Algebra students in both self-contained and inclusive classrooms. 
• Wrote rigorous IEP goals and led 100% of students to master 75% of IEP goals and 77% of students to mastery of 100% of IEP goals.
• Co-founded a school-wide, after-school art club that painted a school mural.

1st Grade Teacher               

West Gary Lighthouse Charter School, Gary, Indiana

• Led class to average 114% growth on end of year NWEA test.
• Served as General Education Intervention (GEI) chairperson.
• Taught through an arts infused curriculum to help students reach full potential.

Corps Member Advisor                                                           June 2007 - July 2007

Teach For America, West Briar Middle School, Houston, Texas

• Used data driven decisions to coach, mentor, and provide group learning experiences to incoming first year teachers at a summer training institute.

Teach For America Corps Member–Special Educator         June 2005 - May 2007

 Park Forest Middle School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• Led 100% of students to mastery of 75% of rigorous IEP goals and 77% of students to achieve 100% mastery of IEP goals.
• Taught beyond IEP goals and reached 72% student mastery of prioritized state standards of the state Math curriculum.
• Received an Academic Distinction Fund grant to design and implement a Special Education study skills intervention class for struggling students.
• Taught LEAP Summer Remediation and served on School Improvement Team.

Special Education Math Learning Team Leader                     July 2006 - May 2007

Teach For America, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• Designed and facilitated monthly professional development sessions to support first year teachers and increase teacher effectiveness.

Student Achievement Toolkit Taskforce Member               March 2006 - May 2006

Teach for America- South Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• Created a comprehensive long-term plan, skills diagnostic, unit test and instructional materials for corps members teaching 8th grade math in Louisiana

Additional Experience

Graduate Research Assistantship                        September 2009-December 2010

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore Maryland 

• Assisted the director of the Art Education Program with research, planning and outreach.

Graduate Teaching Intern                                                     January 2010-May 2010

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore Maryland 

• Cofaciliated a Quilting for Social Justice class and community exhibition.

Honors

Design. Build. Transform. Residency, April 2011

Teacher of Promise Nominee, April 2011

Maryland Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Teacher Candidate, April 2011

Master of Art in Teaching Fellowship, 2009-2011

University Honors, May 2005

School of Art Senior College Honors, May 2005

Phi Kappa Phi Member, May 2005

Meeting of the Minds Research Symposium Participant, May 2005

Student Undergraduate Research Grant, Fall 2004

Exhibitions/ Projects

Get Inked!, ARTSCPAE Midway                                                                        July 2010

Baltimore, MD

Pathways to Awareness, Quilting for Social Justice, Meyerhoff Gallery       April 2010

Baltimore, MD

Bridgeport All Stars, Co-Prosperity Sphere,                                                  August 2008 

Chicago, IL          

Teach for America South Louisiana Regional Poster                                        June 2007

Baton Rouge, LA

 SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR, Regina Gouger Miller Gallery                     May 2005

Pittsburgh, PA

Painting Act:  Pop-Eyed Cow, Ellis Gallery                                                        April 2005

Pittsburgh, PA

Kelly Schmal and Ryan Murray Show, The Frame Gallery                       December 2004   Pittsburgh, PA

Spring Show, Umbra Institute Studios,                                                               April 2004

Perugia, Italy

All CFA Show, The Frame Gallery                                                                January 2003

Pittsburgh, PA

Making a Scene, Ground Zero                                                                     October, 2001

Pittsburgh, PA