Tell us about yourself. Tell us who you are and what you do.
I grew up in Minot with two sisters that I am close with to this day. One of the most impactful parts of my adolescence was attending and working as a camp counselor at Triangle Y Camp. I attended Minot State University where I participated in a study abroad program in Peru, which drove me to major in Spanish education and inspired a serious sense of wanderlust. While working as a Spanish teacher, I completed my master’s degree in Teaching English as a second language. I worked as an instructor teaching TESL at MSUM and ESL at NDSU, and I found that I really enjoyed working with adult learners. In 2023, I shifted careers into the Learning and Development field. I am currently the Learning and Development Coordinator at TrueNorth Steel where I build a culture of learning and help meet company goals. One part of my job I am especially passionate about is creating training in Spanish for our Spanish-speaking employees, and an exciting new goal our team has is to create training in Ukrainian for our Ukrainian employees. I met my husband, Kody, in 2014 and we moved together to Fargo shortly after. We live in north Fargo with our one-year-old daughter, Amelie, and our cat, Bean.
Who are some people who have been influential in your journey and why? Who inspires you?
Both of my parents have been very influential in my life. My father has a strong work ethic that he instilled in me. He taught me how to be independent and find creative solutions to problems. My mother has always emphasized the importance of education for women, and this greatly affected my own education and career choices.
What drives you?
I am driven by creating a better future Professionally, this involves helping employees train for their roles and advance in their careers, as well as focusing on my own career outcomes. Personally, this involves finding a balance between enjoying the present and planning for the future. I’m also driven by a desire to learn and experience new things. This is most apparent in my love of traveling to see new things, reading to learn new ideas, and learning languages to speak with new people.
What do you think can be improved in our business community?
I would like to see businesses hire people who speak different languages into customer-facing roles, and highlight this so that community members who speak different languages are aware!
