Long Term Substitute

Leslie grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and has lived many places in the US and overseas. She received her MA in English from The University of Memphis  and a BA in English from The University of Central Arkansas. Besides the US, she has taught English in Slovakia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. Having visited all 7 continents, she strongly believes in an education that includes travel and studying diversity. She implements stories, foods, holidays and educational experiences into the classroom to introduce students to different cultures throughout the world. In April of 2022 she became an Advisor for the DEI Leadership Institute in Denver. 

During her free time, Leslie hangs out with her two sons, two cats, and a dog. She tries new restaurants, takes Salsa, Bachata, Bellydance, Kukuwa, and Samba classes and has recently started a new business called Sauces, LLC.  

What is Your Why?

I am incredibly passionate about education and working with young people to obtain their dreams and reach their goals. When I was younger, my mom would tell me I should be a teacher but I moved to Washington DC after undergraduate school and worked for a large financial institution. While in DC, I volunteered at the Spanish Catholic Center as an ESL instructor and fell in love with the students and realized my calling. After my mom passed away, I went to graduate school and my first teaching position was at the University of Connecticut.