What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
My job title is dyslexia therapist.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
As a part of the Education Team at the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders, there are several duties that I may be doing at any given time. I could be teaching patients in our lab school, training teachers in one of our four curricula, troubleshooting technology questions for our customers or working with Karen Avrit and our team with curriculum development.
 
What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here?
My very first job was at a store named Perry Bros. For the younger staff, that was a nickel and dime type of store that sold everything from candy to fabric to small animals, such as birds and mice. And yes, part of my job was to clean the bird cages, which is why, to this day, I have never had a pet bird.
 
I worked in the public school system for 15 years as an English, Reading and Language Arts teacher. I was a part of the research study for using Rite Flight in public schools when it first came out and was trained here at Scottish Rite. Working closely with my campus dyslexia teacher and with students that struggled with reading and comprehension for most of my career led me to taking over the dyslexia position at my school when it became available. After a year of therapist training here at Scottish Rite, I was offered a job to teach in the dyslexia lab and finish the technology component of our curriculum, Take Flight. This summer, I celebrated eight years at Scottish Rite.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
Being here at Scottish Rite is an amazing place to be. I really enjoy that on any day, I could be walking down the hall and witness a first for a child … taking a first step on a new prosthesis, learning to bounce on a halo and giggling with delight, or getting a diagnosis to explain how amazingly smart the child is but that he or she just learns differently. And no matter where you go within the hospital, there is always a smiling face to greet you.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know?
I am not afraid of technology and have successfully integrated it into all our curricula. Our team helps teachers from all around Texas, and our curriculum (Take Flight) is being used in 42 states and eight countries.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
Jamaica is the most interesting and beautiful place I’ve ever been. I went there for a friend’s wedding. Between the blue, clear ocean, the hiking trails, the friendly people, and the majestic waterfalls, it was a trip I will never forget.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
I would travel back to 1999, my first year of teaching. My career started in Fort Bend ISD in Sugarland, Texas. I taught sixth grade English at Dulles Middle School. It was such an amazing year with great mentors, incredible friendships and remarkable students.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be a really good cheeseburger, sweet potato fries and a strawberry shake.

What is your favorite Halloween costume that you have worn?
My favorite Halloween costume was many years ago when I was a schoolteacher, and my team dressed up as the characters from The Wizard of Oz. We all worked for several weeks to create our costumes. I was the Wicked Witch, with the green skin and all.

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
I worked in a florist shop in college. Learning to create floral arrangements, corsages, wedding bouquets and homecoming mums was so much fun and a great creative outlet for me. I still enjoy creating them when the occasion calls for it.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
My primary duties are two-fold. One, I provide a comprehensive evaluation for the child whose family has concerns that a learning difference is interfering with their child’s academic progress and performance. Secondly, I share the results of the evaluation, describing the child’s strengths and challenges, and provide recommendations for the next steps the family can take to support their child. Evaluation results and recommendations are shared during a telemedicine consultation and in a final written report.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here?
I worked as a school psychologist in Dallas ISD’s Psychological Services department for nine years prior to joining the Center for Dyslexia staff.
I first learned of Scottish Rite for Children as a parent. A few years later, a coworker of my former husband told him about the job posting for the assessment specialist position in the Center for Dyslexia, and I applied. I celebrated my 25th anniversary as part of the Center for Dyslexia Diagnostic Team in August this year.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I enjoy learning from the children I evaluate, having the opportunity to help them and their families understand what their strengths and challenges and providing recommendations and resources that will support these children as they continue their academic journey. 
I also enjoy working with my colleagues in the Center for Dyslexia. They are my work family and some of the most compassionate, generous, intelligent and creative people I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know?
A comprehensive evaluation encompasses parent and teacher observations as well as the “whole child,” including his/her cognitive functioning, receptive and expressive language skills, educational opportunities, academic skills and behavioral/emotional functioning and health. 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
I have visited the beaches at the Pacific Ocean (California) and Atlantic Oceans (Florida).

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
I would travel back to 2019, which was the last year my family and I were together for Thanksgiving prior to the pandemic.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My one and only meal would be pepper beef steak and broccoli, brown rice, egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce, iced tea (half-sweetened, half unsweetened), and frozen fruit bars for dessert.

What is your favorite Halloween costume that you have worn?
I once wore a toga.

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
I really enjoy oceanography and astronomy.