Welcome to my Athenaeum! My name is Julie, and I'm a 1997 Dimond High School graduate. I’ve always been a teacher at heart - from my earliest days in my neighbor's treehouse and my first job as a gymnastics coach to almost two decades in the classroom, I've been teaching one way or another.

Before I became a high school teacher, I earned my master's degree in geological engineering and worked as a geological, geotechnical, and environmental engineer.  I believe that my first career was invaluable to my teaching practice because it has allowed me to share my real-world experience in science and math with my students.  I would not be as effective a teacher without that part of my life.

I left a potentially lucrative engineering career for a life in education simply for one reason: passion.  While I loved learning about engineering in school, I found the practice less than satisfying, and I longed to get back to the classroom where I could teach and learn all the time.  I have over seventeen years' experience teaching high school science, and am certified to teach Science 8-12 in both Colorado and Texas (Alaska state certification pending). I'm now taking the next step in my career: working one-one-one and with small groups as a tutor, and as an alternative educator.