How long have you been a teacher? 20 Twenty years in total, 8 at Travis High School.

Why a teacher? What are you committed to? I am committed to bringing as much value to the classroom as possible. I want the students to walk away having learned something that will help them in their lives. I want to help them break the cycle of defeat that many of them experience.

What was your experience with JA? This was my first experience with JA and I was so impressed! Through JA, students gain a real learning experience they wouldn’t get anywhere else. Because the program is very hands-on, JA makes business less foreign and more personal, more possible for the students.

Any “Ah Ha” Moments? It was eye-opening for me to see that entrepreneurship is a career path students are interested in, especially social entrepreneurship. Another "Ah-Ha" was seeing the students realize they could be in charge of their own lives. They gained a respect for business, and what the students thought about their future potential changed as a result of JA.

What do you do in your spare time when you aren’t teaching at Travis High School? I also am an entrepreneur. Outside of school, I do design for print and web. http://www.dmlogodesign.com/ My colleague, Marie Harpin, and I also sell our Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop tutorials. Teachers from as far away as Australia and Scotland have purchased our tutorials. http://techworkbooks.dmlogodesign.com/.

What would you tell other teachers about JA? DO IT! Take the opportunity and bring JA into your school.