My father is retired from public service. He is a retired New York City fireman. Growing up he would often talk about work – the built environment, fire codes and safety. I like to understand context of both art and the built environment so that kind of led me down the road not only to architecture but city and regional planning, which kind of looks at the bigger picture, such as how does a building fit into a neighborhood to how does the building fit into the community, what resources are being used and how is that adding to the community.
My main job today is looking at projections in the future [for the school division] and how our student population might grow or decline, and with that, look at our available capacity and where students [live]. We also upkeep attendance zones and related information for the community that could impact those zones. We’re also a liaison for city planning initiatives, such as those dealing with housing and neighborhood preservation.
I love my job. I really enjoy working for the school division. It’s the best of both worlds. As I worked through school I began working in both development and education. I taught in a variety of areas in K-12: special education, English as a second language, home hospital instruction. I have also been an art teacher. So I’ve always gone back and forth with the design aspect, the built environment and the educational aspect. When a job came up with the school division in Facilities Services, it was a perfect fit. I know that the work that I do every day serves the community as a whole and the future of the community as a whole.
#WeAreVBSchools
