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Biografía |
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- The things I am most proud of are my love and compassion for animals, and my stick-to-it-tiveness when it comes to education. I never studied in school as a kid. In fact I hated school. I was so relieved when I didn't have to go to kindergarten! I did not want to go to first grade, either, but "they" made me. They were still making me, all the way through 12th grade. Education was not a priority in my family. I come from a family of share croppers from Missouri and Eastern Oklahoma. My mom only went through 5th grade, and my dad finished SOME of 4th grade because they were so poor, they had to move every year to work a different farmers land. In exchange for working another person's land back in the 1930s, you got to keep a portion of the harvest, and you were given a house to live in near the field you worked. I love visiting Eastern Oklahoma. My dad used to drive me all around the back roads showing me the different fields they worked, the different places their houses stood, or the old school houses he used to walk to, and fight at :-) My parentes did not encourage education, nevertheless, I am very proud of my heritage. My dad taught me to be curious aobut, and enjoy diverse culture. Spending so much time as a child in Oklahoma Texas, and later Alaska, made it especially easy to appreciate rich culture.
- When I first tried college at 23, I didn't know if I could do it! No one had ever told me I was smart. So.... it was an experiment. I began at Spokane Falls Community College, and found out that if I studied, I could get A's on all my tests. It became a game for me, though I worked really hard and dedicated all my time to either working in restaurants, or studying! I graduated with honors from community college in Spokane, and did the same from Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, WA.
- I taught Home Economics and Spanish for 12 years at Liberty High School, in Spangle, WA, while working on two masters degrees. The first from Gonzaga, and the second, during the summers in Morelia, Michoacan, through U. of Southern Mississippi. Both were extremely challenging. I had a goal in mind, though, and again, "I wanted to see if I could do it." I wanted to see if I was smart enough to complete a doctorate degree.
- I applied to 6 universities, and was accepted by one: The Ohio State University. I didn't even know where Ohio was on a map when I got accepted. I had to look it up! Living in Columbus, Ohio for five years was very difficult. I made friends from all over the world, though, and experienced life on an historic, beautiful, huge university campus (50,000 students there when I attended). Passing my doctoral candidacy exam was almost more than I could do. My professors helped me, I somehow passed the exam, and then began work as a doctoral candidate, conducting research on Mexican culture in the Yucatan Pennisula, working with Maya women and men in the Panama Hat business. I spent time in caves in the little town of Becal, Campeche, 2 hours south of Merida, Yucatan, where women sat for hours every day, and into the night, weaving strips of palm into beautiful hats. the hats are sold throughout the tourist zone of Mexico, and in expensive stores around the world. The weavers make as little as $2.50 for weaving a hat, while the hats sell for as much as $1,000 in expensive hat stores in New York. (albeit different qualities of hat from the $2.50 version).
- The Ohio State University: 2002
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- Ph.D.
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg: 1996
- Master of Arts in Teaching Languages: Spanish
Gonzaga University:
- Master of Arts in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction
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Eastern Washington University: 1985
- Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics Education, Minor in Spanish
West Valley High School, Spokane, WA: 1973