Welcome, again!


My name is Annah! I am in my late 20's and love the city where I live. Raleigh, North Carolina is a special place with cuisine and culture like no where else I've experienced. We are a dynamic southern city! I am a born and raised North Carolina girl. Having lived so close to home all my life I decided to experience new places and cultures through my pursuit of photography and travel. In my early 20's I knew in order to develop into the person I wanted to be I was going to have to push myself beyond my little region in the world and experience some new places. There is nothing like first hand experience to grow and learn! In college, I dipped my toes in international travel by traveling for 6 weeks to Curitiba, Brazil. Once I learned what it was like to leave home and push myself outside of my comfort zone, I quickly became excited and I'll say addicted to traveling. Since then I have traveled to Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Switzerland, Iceland, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Canada, and China. It's why I call myself an adventure junkie, no, not sky-diving but nonetheless you can regularly find me going on adventures. Whether local or abroad I'm always somewhere. Things I love- Mexican food, swimming, lake activities, hiking, puppies, my guinea pig (Lenny), and you guessed it NETFLIX! I'm an aspiring reader and artist although I find it challenging to carve out time for some things I love because I am such a curious and passionate human.

As a teacher:

I am going into my 7th year of teaching. I am currently a 4th grade teacher in Downtown Raleigh, I pride myself on being dynamic and innovative. I am constantly in pursuit of professional development. As an educator I have:

  • Been featured in Education NC, 2015
  • Won The US National Design for Change Competition, 2016
  • Presented at the International Be The Change Conference in Beijing, China 2016
  • Been an Educator of Excellence, 2017
  • Featured in Walter Magazine, 2017
  • Featured in Business North Carolina, 2018
  • Served as a Kenan Fellow, 2018-2019
  • Nominated NC Teaching Hero, 2020
  • National Board Candidate, 2020-2021


As a human:

Again, I am a born and raised North Carolina girl, but my family is from the Midwest! My roots are wide in the US and globally. I grew up going on 14 hour car rides for Christmas, to see family was always an experience. I love the pizza in St. Louis, Missouri and Tony's Steak Sandwiches, in Saginaw, Michigan. At home, I think it's fair to say that I basically I grew up in the YMCA. Between camps, after-school, being a year-round swimmer for YOTA, and YMCA Leaders Club, I spent a decent amount of time there. In high school, I was a runner and swimmer and prioritized volunteering. My dream was to go to UNC- Chapel Hill, but I was promptly rejected. But that's okay, some things don't work out like you thought they would and turn out way better than you could have every expected. I ended up attending college at North Carolina State University where I met some of my best friends and became the woman I am today. Through college, I continued to focus on mentorship and leadership. I kept swimming and crushed the GPA game. Post college, I have continued personal development through my work with my church, photography, travel, and taking on professional challenges every year.


By far my biggest proudest accomplishment was completing the Camino de Santiago in 2019. The Camino is a physical and spiritual journey that requires you to walk over 500 miles across Northern Spain. My journey led me to walk 600 miles. I laughed, I cried, I literally crawled and by the end I found a new happier version of myself. I also made some wonderful friends from around the world. The way I look at life is Before and After the Camino. It was that impactful in my life. It helped me address some very real hardships I had faced earlier in life and learn to just let stuff go. As a result I am a much more peaceful and content person. I can spend long hours by myself pouring myself into whatever I'm working on because I now know how to JUST BE! Such a gift. If there is no other thing you glean from this website and you're just curious about The Camino, let me know! I would be happy to talk with you or help you prepare.


In my personal life, I have an amazing family, friends, and I'm currently dating an incredible guy! I feel so lucky to have this life in Raleigh, North Carolina and I cannot wait to see where life, teaching, and photography will take me next!


As a business owner:

I've been at the photography thing for quite some time, but now I am diving into the world of web design and marketing. In order to grow my business and reach the level I want to be at, I know I have to again push myself outside of my comfort zone ( a common theme in my life) to get there! I'm excited to see where this work can take me, just one step at a time.


Cheers to learning and growing, a lot!


xoxo,

Annah