Hi! Here's a bit about me: I have an M.A. in English from California State University and have been teaching college English for about 25 years. My goal is to create a supportive, rigorous learning environment for all my students. Teaching college writing was my rewarding part-time gig when my sons were young and became my full-time passion once they grew up. It became a part-time passion once again a couple of years ago when we moved from California to North Carolina to live closer to our grandkids. When I'm not teaching, I enjoy family, friends, bike rides, and hikes--especially when beautiful scenery is involved! Playing the piano and cooking appeal to my creative side, and I am a movie buff! I also try to live out my beliefs. My husband and I made a mission trip to Jamaica in 2023. We learned firsthand about groups working there to help people in need. Our mission team also helped build a new home for Lorna and her family. Life is hard, and I've learned that I can count on God for daily help and for the hope, joy, peace, and purpose that make life worthwhile. I believe God loves us even more than we love ourselves, so much so that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for us so that we might live forever with Him! Here is part of my faith journey: The Night that Changed My Life I don’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God. I prayed as a child, I grew in my faith in Catholic school, and I attended church regularly with my family. While I’m grateful for my faith, I can’t take credit for it. As Ephesians 2:8 states: “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is God’s gift.” Of course, having faith in God doesn’t make life trouble-free because we live in a fallen world. You see, my best friend and I were on our high school senior class trip when we were abducted and sexually assaulted. When I try to reconcile the horror of this with my faith in a God who loves me, Romans 8:28 resonates: “all things work for good for those who love God.” This means God works “all” things—not just the good things, but even the difficult things--to bring about ultimate good in my life, even though I often don’t understand His ways. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones to call for help, so, at the start of this horrific ordeal, when I was mostly in shock, I did the only thing I could think of—I silently prayed the “Our Father.” God heard my prayer that night and showed up big time: “In my distress…I cried out to God, [and] He heard my voice” (Psalm 18:6). You see, I ended up locked in the trunk of a car, but I felt God’s assurance that He would help me escape. Now, I’m not mechanically inclined (ask anyone who knows me), yet, at the opportune moment, glory be to God, I was able to pop the trunk from the inside, jump out, and run for help. A kind couple answered when I knocked at their door and let me call 9-1-1. The man was eventually arrested, and, months later, my friend and I testified at trial. The man who hurt us was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Even though I may never truly understand why God allowed this disturbed man to hurt me, I believe God worked this bad thing to bring ultimate good into my life. God answered my prayer of desperation by giving me the ability to escape from the trunk and run for help. God gave me the courage to testify at trial and brought the man to justice for his crimes. God gave me the grace to forgive and instilled in me deeper gratitude for my life. God also healed my trauma from that night. Some healing came through conventional therapy while other healing was more profound, enabling me to lean into my childhood faith to form an adult-faith in Him. Shortly after that night, my mom shared about “angel-like singing” she experienced at a charismatic retreat. Her description somehow appealed to me in a way it wouldn’t have before that night, so I attended a charismatic retreat myself and received what charismatics call the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, reading scripture and attending mass came alive for me, and I joined a charismatic prayer group through which, glory be to God, I experienced deep healing. God’s rescue on that fateful night was a “shake-up” call that helped me realize how much I need God in my everyday life and prompted me to seek a closer walk with Him. In the years since then, God has blessed me with education, marriage, family, friends, and fulfilling work as a mom, college instructor, and church volunteer. I believe God sees us and loves us just as we are, even more than we love ourselves. I believe He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for us so that we might live forever with Him (John 3:16). I believe He invites us to daily transformation and deeper relationship with Him so that we might experience the full, abundant life Jesus proclaims in John 10:10.