From childhood, I had always wanted to become an English teacher. I loved language. The manipulation of it. The sound of it. The rhythm of it. And its power. I always wanted to share my knowledge with others and I was always comfortable in my role as a leader.

     During my childhood years, I would often gather neighborhood children together in my home. I would cut up pieces of paper (since using school paper would have been a luxury for me) and act the role of teacher. I enjoyed that role and the other children allowed me to have it. Surprisingly, no one ever challenged me for a turn as teacher.

     It was understood that I was the teacher and they were not.

     There was never a doubt in my mind that I would actualize my ambition to become a teacher until I began taking acting classes at UC Santa Cruz and eventually co-founded Black Magic Theatre on campus.

     It was at that crossroad that my passion for acting won out over my desire to major in English. Though I did not become an English teacher as I always dreamed I would, I did become a teacher, nonetheless.

     I have taught thousands of students in well over twenty five years that include the novice to the highly acclaimed celebrity including Toni Braxton, Jada Pinkett Smith, Benjamin Bratt, Kym Whitley, Don D.C Curry and many more.

     How blessed I feel to have become what I always wanted to become, and to have known my calling at such an early age. Over twentysomething years later, I still love teaching and am glad I combined teaching with acting.

back to Chapter Synopses