Hello!

Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about me.  Since I know you’re most likely super busy like the rest of us, I’ll give you the bulleted list.

• Graduated from Leslie High School in 1996
• Lived in New York City from Jan-May in 1999 to complete a journalism internship
• Graduated from Albion College with Bachelor’s Degree in English and Speech Communication in 2000
• Married Mr. Cornwell in 2003
• Obtained my teaching certification from Aquinas College in 2004 and my Master’s Degree in 2006
• Taught Fifth Grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Ionia from 2004-2006
• Participated in the Summer Institute of the Lake Michigan Writing Project in 2005, 2006, and 2011
• Started at Portland Middle School in 2006
• Welcomed our son, Calder, into our family a month early in March 2007
• Welcomed our daughter, Seneca, into our family two weeks early in August 2008
• Taught part-time from 2009-2012
• Took a one-year leave of absence to be a stay at home mom in 2013-2014
• Returned to the classroom in 2014
• Sold our home and moved into Portland – November 2014
• Took 7th graders on a canoe trip down the Grand River in May 2015
• Met “The Fonz” after sleeping all night at LAX following a visit with my brother and sister-in-law
• Returned to Belize a second time for a short-term mission trip in June 2016
• Had the adventure of a lifetime in New York City on the TODAY show with Kathie Lee and Hoda!!
• Laughed that “The Fonz” was also a guest in an earlier segment, though I didn’t get to see him again!
• Experienced the craziest first full day ever complete with a News 10 and LSJ interview and photographers in class!

In addition to the credentials above, a few noteworthy facts about me include my love of coffee and chocolate, the fact that I LOVE creating things – pictures, scarves, painting, singing – you name it!  I have more hobbies than I can count, and I always find new ones that I would pursue if I thought there was a shred of time available.  I love to travel and have gone on three mission trips with our church, I enjoy spending time outside – camping, walking, hiking – and spending time with family tops just about anything else.