What does it mean to love our Midtown neighborhood?
For me, to love Midtown means to be of service to my neighbors through volunteering and community engagement. It means to work collectively for the betterment of a neighborhood that we love and are fortunate to be a part of. The collection of stories of what brings families to Midtown is one of the primary reasons I love our neighborhood. Midtown is diverse, welcoming, and progressive. My husband lived in Midtown while at GA Tech and then again after graduation and never stopped talking about what a special place in the city it is. When buying the home where we wanted to plant our roots, we both knew Midtown was the neighborhood where we wanted it to be. It has everything we wanted for our growing family. Diversity, excellent schools, growth, density, and walkability. Despite Midtown’s rapid growth, it has not lost its appealing charm. We feel fortunate to be a part of Midtown and look forward to growing our family here.
What unique qualities do you offer that will continue the positive growth and work of MNA?
One of the unique qualities I bring to MNA is by ability for cross-department communication, I am able to bring people together around a common goal and create drive in a group setting. I can perceive when someone is unhappy and am able to quickly mobilize a strategy to diffuse and address concerns. My goal is to use these qualities to fill a current education gap in the MNA. As a trained educational psychologist, I have spent my career serving various educational communities, from PreK-12 students, to undergraduate and graduate students. I have had the privilege of teaching students across disciplines and universities in the city across different disciplines. I am passionate about academics and mental health and how the two are intertwined. During the ongoing global pandemic, students, teachers, and educational leaders have faced many challenges. From access to education, moving to online learning, mental health, and the aftermath. It has been my role to help plan for the future and to see how not only schools, but also communities can assist the school clusters they are a part of. I want to expand the role MNA has with our school clusters and to assist with positive growth in this area.
How are you a good Midtown neighbor today?
Although subjective, I believe I am a good Midtown neighbor because I am friendly and approachable. Since moving to Midtown I have tried to be active in our community, whether it has been introducing ourselves to our neighbors, volunteering at events, or attending MNA gatherings. I believe being a part of our community helps build trust and friendly relationships over time. I have our neighbors’ best interest at heart and enjoy meeting new people. I am here to lend a helping hand and help when needed. I believe being a good neighbor takes time, as people become more familiar with you and relationships start to develop.
Where would you like to see progress in our community?
As previously indicated, I would like to see progress in our relationship with our educational communities. Between residents, parents, school stakeholders, and more importantly, students. There are many untapped resources and connections that could improve our relationships and engagement with the incredible schools that serve Midtown. I do not believe you have to have a school-aged child to want to see progress in this area, and I look forward to making meaningful connections among various stakeholders. I am really excited the MNA Board of Directors and am looking forward to the possibility giving back and serving our community in this role.