Hi, I'm Dejaka'.

My Journey

After 16 years in K-12 education I discovered and developed a passion for creating content and supporting educators. Early in my career I began building my own curriculum from the ground up and experimenting with digital tools - building class websites, including gamification in my lessons and creating hyperdoc assignments to engage learners in authentic tasks. I love to try new things and explore creative ways to engage learners and present content. Whether it be designing an escape room simulation, converting my classroom into an international airport or producing a class cooking show in Spanish you would always find something new in my class. I quickly discovered a passion for technology integration and content development. As I grew in my career I had the opportunity to mentor new teachers, facilitate training workshops for other teachers and lead diverse teams of professionals. I absolutely love supporting people in their goals, both professional and personal and encouraging growth and development.

Following my passion for technology integration, I left the physical classroom to become a virtual instructor, building courses and facilitating learning online in both a synchronous and asynchronous environment. Engaging learners in a virtual setting challenged me in many ways and I grew in my design, facilitation, and relationship building skills. In this role I had the opportunity to build a strong program, lead multiple teams, mentor instructors, and facilitate adult learning. I was faced with the challenge of starting the Spanish program in my building, converting the district's in-person curriculum to a virtual format. What began as a pilot program of three courses grew to a program of nine courses spanning seven grade levels including an Advanced Placement and Heritage program in two years' time. I learned a lot about effective course design for e-learning and universal design principles and in this role and developed a love for e-learning development and virtual instruction. This led me to leaving the classroom to pursue a career in learning and development where I could flex my skills to create a greater impact.

Now I’m ready to use everything I have learned from the classroom to solve problems by creating learning solutions that are meaningful and learner-focused.