Oh, the places you will go!

I have never been a great fan of Dr. Seuss however the above famous phrase has been an almost constant in my life for the past 16 years.  I had a teacher in college who actually repeated it many times to emphasize what an education in broadcast could do for someone.

Yes, it’s true that obtaining that credential allowed me to have many experiences I would have never had but I think life in general has taken me in directions I never expected.

I’ve lived in three different countries and several cities.  I actually counted how many times I have moved since I was born recently and I believe it is 27 times but I may have missed a few places that I can’t remember.

Moving around so much has never been a great thing in terms of making friends and creating roots however there are some advantages.  Being able to experience different cultures was a definite plus and, as a result, I can speak a second language fluently.

I am currently residing in Oshawa and I teach a variety of media-related courses at Durham College.  I am also taking courses toward a Master’s degree with a specialization in Education and Digital Technologies.

I will go back a few years though to my prior education when I dropped out of school in Grade 10. At the age of 24 I finished high school through night and distance courses as I worked a minimum paying job as a single mother.  At 25 I made the decision to go to college full time for three years.  It was a big decision because it would mean great economic hardship for my daughter and myself as I attended school but I felt it was a necessary risk in order to better our lives in the long run.  I was very fortunate to land a full time position in the newsroom at Citytv one month after graduating from a Broadcast program at Centennial College.

For ten years I worked at that innovative TV station with five of those years spent on the award-winning investigative journalism program, Silverman Helps.  Working for that program was the most rewarding of my broadcast career to date but it was also the most exhausting.  My time on that program has given me wonderful memories and experiences I never thought I would have had. Receiving a thank you from someone the program had helped was very gratifying and knowing that we helped many people find justice behind the scenes over those years was also a great reward.  I was honoured to win six awards, including two Edward R. Murrow Awards, and a Gemini nomination for my work on the Silverman Helps program.  But trying to help people day in and day out, being harassed on a regular basis and fearing for the safety of my family was very draining on my emotional and mental health.  I felt I needed a break from all of that and applied for a teaching job at Durham College.

I am now married and have another daughter. Along with teaching, I also work as a freelance writer and a multimedia journalist.  I produce stories for different outlets and my husband and I manage two websites and run an online furniture store. As a result of our freelance writing we have had the opportunity to visit different countries and many areas in Canada and the United States.

I have a Master of Education with a specialization in Digital Technologies and I am currently a doctoral student (Education – Language, Culture and Teaching) at York University.

I can be reached at 905-721-2000 ext. 3666 or by email