I have called many places home. Much of my childhood was spent in Boulder, Colorado where I spent every summer engaged in a summer camp in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The years I spent as a camper/counselor in training/staff member, grew my love for the outdoors. I started doing backpacking trips, NOLS trips, and chose to further my education at Prescott College in Prescott, AZ. At school, the focus of Adventure Education and Human Development highlighted my degree and deepened my love for this region. 

My field based classrooms were anywhere from the rivers and canyons of the Colorado Plateau, the snowy backside of the Grand Tetons, the coastal edges of the Sea of Cortez, and many other locations. I graduated from Prescott College with a degree in Adventure Education and Human Development in 2009. 

Adventure experiences coupled with classroom discussions provided the platform to explore summer jobs centered around the ocean. I led sea kayaking trips in Alaska for a season, as well as taught sailing and marine ecology in the Caribbean for 4 summers before semi-settling down in Northern Idaho where I was a teacher at a therapeutic boarding school for 2 years. I grew professionally and personally there, and learned that there were other things I would like to pursue, and when an opportunity came to move to San Luis Obispo, CA, I welcomed it. 

My time in California led me to a few different opportunities. I spent time organic farming, working at a boutique bed and breakfast, and most importantly, working with younger kids as a nanny/babysitter. All of my experiences helped develop my skills in logistics and household management to create a meaningful, safe, and fun environment for the children I looked after. 

I moved to Flagstaff in 2019, right before the world was handed a curve ball. I went back to doing what I know best, working with kids. I was lucky to be able to lead a small learning pod through online learning while also creating a classroom-like learning environment for the rest of our “school day”. When in-person learning came back to Flagstaff, all the puzzle pieces finally clicked for me, and I thought “why don’t I just work with kids”. I formed Ms. Ella’s Child Care LLC in the summer of 2021. I am beyond excited to have created my own small business and I am thrilled to step back into my familiar shoes.