In my first life I was a young, emboldened, high school history teacher. I received my graduate degree in education from the University of Tennessee before moving back to my native Nashville, to begin my teaching career. I taught at a small charter school, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I took pride in the classroom that I created— a place where my students could grow and learn. I was interested in charting the metrics of my students’ learning, and eventually became infatuated with gathering data through the online grade-book implemented on campus. While the grade-book was a fantastic tool, I felt that it could be improved. I taught for three years, and then decided that it was time to pursue a new career. I wanted to do something that would continue to feed my curiosity and desire to learn. While visiting family and friends during my winter vacation I rediscovered my interest in technology. I reread a paper that I had written in graduate school, that explored how technology was used in education. I realized at that point that education is not the only way to contribute to the betterment of humanity. It became very clear that technology is a great way to do so. Fast forward several months later, and I am now a student at Nashville Software School, where I am effectively learning how to be a competitive software developer. I’m in love with learning new technology daily, and want to use the tools that I’ve gleaned to make the world a better place. In my spare time I enjoy watching football, eating Indian food, and winning at the Settlers of Catan. ©