How did you get involved with Humane Education? I believe I am here for multiple reasons, and the great thing is that I can combine my ultimate love of people, children, and animals. I never had good messages around animals growing up, so it's a good thing that it's in my deepest places to care for anything that needs a good, strong voice.

I was heavily into compassionate education while running our adoption center and constantly honing how I was relaying the message of kindness towards animals. I never ever want people to feel that someone is preaching to them, so the goal is always to elicit a chuckle or a laugh when delivering something that I consider important (good food, spaying and neutering, how we engage with animals so their brains develop properly, etc.).

I was hoping for some land so that there was space to teach outdoors, and I talked about getting land for around 9 years. FINALLY, things fell into place, and we were able to purchase almost 20 acres of pristine forest and fields nearby. This is the 11th year we will be teaching 'For the Love of Animals' Humane Education Program.

How did you become involved with APHE? Because HE is a part of my everyday life, it felt natural to join APHE.

What do you feel are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of working in Humane Education? I don't necessarily find anything too challenging except keeping the HE program as fresh as possible since I have a lot of kids who return for many years in a row. They really keep me wanting to be true and keep fresh as I have this one precious opportunity to get them thinking and tapping into all those beautiful places that are within them. I end up kind of meditating on issues such as dog training, diet and nutrition, declawing, grabbing and not letting go of kittens, kissing and hugging dogs, etc. and trying to come up with age appropriate ways to get them to put themselves in the animals’ positions. I truly love a lot of the programs I've developed.

What projects or programs are you currently working on? Everything that I do ultimately comes back to serving my community and engaging with the public. I just signed a lease in April to open a cat café, Ms. Kitty’s (after all, I live in ArCATa!). Pretty much all of the education that I do is disguised as fun. The goal of MK is to bring joy and unique experiences (and Humane Education....Shhhhh) all while hanging out with (and maybe adopting) cats and kittens! I'm on my path, and it all feels right, even the challenges. I'm also getting ready for summer camp; I can almost see many of the APHE readers nodding yes to this one!

Do you have any interesting fun facts about yourself? I can say that I dive into what scares me. I've always said I was terrible at math, so I took an Algebra class at the local college. Heights make me cry and hyperventilate, so I paraglided off a mountain in Switzerland (and I loved it). Scuba diving was a hard 'No' until this past February when we stopped in Akumal, Mexico, and I did a Discovery Dive. I would do any of them again (except the Algebra). I want to fully live this one precious life! I get tired of telling myself who I think I am!

What do you like to do when you’re not working? Dancing is a big part of what I do for fun. I can sew but just a little. I love to garden and surround myself with flowers. I always have flowers on my table. I love taking classes at Cal Poly Humboldt. My favorite is travel and talking with people along the way and seeing things that I couldn't have dreamed up (how many of you have swam in a cenote with a crocodile named Poncho?). Admittedly, I love my bed and sleeping too.

Do you have any cute pets at home? I share my life with one husband, one bunny, two cats, three dogs, three Leopard Tortoises, and many fish, both inside and outside. My temporary houseguests are a 100 pound RottX named.....Rocky, a 12 year old chihuahua whose momma had to go into memory care, and a very, very pregnant cat.

Do you have any advice for someone just starting out in Humane Education? Humane Education is something that is inside you. You have a desire to share what is true and good with others. It isn't tokenistic. Humane Education runs deep in your soul, and it makes sense to make a better world. My advice would be to work with a really stellar teacher, and pay attention. S/he isn't just teaching, s/he knows the secrets of compassion to all and how to communicate this.