Having earned a BA in Creative Arts from Purdue University and an MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Washington University, I accepted a teaching position at Nazareth College of Rochester, where I was a professor of Jewelry and Metalsmithing for nearly 40 years. My passion for language and travel led me to teach several summer sessions as a visiting professor for the University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy, and an intensive 3D Design course in Jinan, China. I was awarded two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships and was honored with the Nazareth College “Excellence in Teaching Award”. Much of my work reflects my ongoing involvement in women and gender studies.