Cougar Queries is a series profiling BYU employees by asking them questions about their work, interests and life.
BYU employee since... I started teaching classes as an undergraduate in 1995. My most continuous stretch has been since 2011.
My job at BYU is… I teach dance. Most of my classes are in the cultural dance area working with the BYU Folk Dance program.
I’m currently working on… getting prepared for Christmas Around the World 2025! I’ve been working with a guest choreographer since February to produce an exciting Ukrainian men’s war dance. "The Arkan" is a living dance tradition, and with the current conflict in Ukraine, it is even more meaningful to present!
I get most excited about my work when… students make a personal connection with something we are studying. When they connect with their heritage or someone else’s culture, it can be a spiritually transformative experience.
Being a member of the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble as a student changed the way I view the world because when I dance someone’s dances and put on their traditional apparel, I literally walk in their shoes.
When I tell people I work for BYU, they often say… “you must love working with those students!”
Students don’t think I notice… when they flirt with each other in class.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten about teaching… came from the example of my mom, an elementary school teacher of 34 years. She was always unapologetically herself — a little bit nutty, but she made learning fun.
My advice to incoming freshmen is… take advantage of the plethora of opportunities at BYU! Take a class just for fun, join a club, an intramural team, go on a study abroad — you will meet amazing people when you get involved!
The best-kept BYU secret is… the BYU Folk Dance Club. (The child's meal at the BYU Creamery is also a pretty good deal.)
I became a BYU fan when… I was born. My dad worked for BYU when I was growing up. I have memories of dancing to our “rise and shout” record in the basement of our home as a little girl with my blue and white pom-poms. I still know every word.
My go-to BYU Creamery ice cream flavor is… Pralines and Caramel.
I’m most looking forward to… my youngest two sons being students together here at BYU this fall!
See the full Y News article here.