About

Hello reader! I’m Maggie. You might have made your way to my site for a variety of reasons: grad school chronicles, teaching content, travel recaps, gluten free food recs, etc.

About Me – Growing Up

I was born in southern California and was raised in South Dakota. Growing up, I spent my time reading, dancing, working, studying, and participating in all the extra-curriculars. I’ve always placed great value on my education, hence my choice to impact our world through teaching. My parents recently moved to Grand Junction, Colorado (where I try and spend my summers), and my siblings and I are still in South Dakota. The pandemic brought me Violet, my aussiedoodle, who was born in February 2020 and came home to me in April 2020.

About Me – Education

After graduating from high school in 2010, I attended South Dakota State University for four years where I earned my English Education B.A. and Spanish minor. In 2017-2018, I returned to school to study at Vanderbilt University where I earned my Reading Education M.Ed. I am now beginning my Ph.D. studies in Curriculum & Teaching at Baylor University (Fall 2022).

About Me – International Travel

Travel is a huge part of my life, and the main reason I started blogging in 2013. I studied abroad during college in Valencia, Spain for a summer, and since then the travel bug’s bite has never gone away. To date, I’ve visited 11 countries on 3 different continents.

• Summer 2013
  • Spain: Madrid, Toledo, Valencia, Barcelona, Gandia
  • France: Paris, Nice
  • Italy: Venice, Florence, Rome
• Summer 2014 – Fall 2014
  • Egypt: Cairo, Ain Sohkna, Giza
  • Austria: Vienna, Salzburg
• Summer 2016
  • Mexico: Cancun, Chichen Itza
  • Poland: Krakow, Warsaw
  • Sweden: Stockholm, Mariefred
  • England: London, Oxford
• Spring 2018:
  • England: Oxford, London
• Winter 2020:
  • Belgium: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent
• Summer 2022:
  • Ireland: Dublin, Galway

About Me – Teaching

In 2021-22, I finished my 7th year of teaching high school English in South Dakota. My most recent preps were English 11 and Honors English 11 courses, but I have also previously taught English 9, English 9R, and Journalism courses as well. I have extensive experience in building a culture of literacy in my classroom, where I am known for fostering a love for independent reading in adolescents. Most recently, I was named a 2021 Book Love Grant recipient and the 2021 Young Leader of the Year from the South Dakota Council of Teachers of English.