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I was born as Mosheh Yamah Garbla to Moses & Yamah Garbla at PG Hospital in Cheverly, MD.  I am the first-generation eldest daughter of Liberian immigrants. We used to live in Cheverly Terrace apartments for years before transitioning into a new home .

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I was in first grade at my first elementary school, Gladys Noon Spelman Elementary where I had a very strict teacher named Ms. Demarco.  My dad and I called her tomato face because her face would turn bright red, every time, she was upset with the class. I realized that I was very shy in school, and I hated talking in front of other students.

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New Carrollton Library was one of my favorite place as a kid :)

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I spent the entire summer learning how to write in cursive from the back of my literature textbook. My dad gifted me workbooks for all the subjects for the upcoming grade.  I was always reading a book and attending the library with my mom.

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My family and I moved to Hyattsville, Maryland to live in a new home.  My sister and I were new students at Cora L Rice Elementary for 3rd and 1st grade.  I was nervous about transitioning to a new school because I missed my friends and didn’t know how to make new friends.  At this school, we wore uniform, and I did a lot of extracurricular activities. I wrote a children book and received an award for completion. We got our last sister, Deddeh, later in December.

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During this time, I was surrounded by electric and intelligent educators who cared about our well-being. I was in G. James Gholson Middle School and I was on the school paper as s writer and editor. During those summers, I was in a STEM program for students who needed extra help in those subjects.

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I entered Central High School as an eager 9th grader with all my old friends.  My love for writing and reading soared because of Mr. Toth’s English class. We were reading “How To Kill a Mockingbird” and other classics.

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I transferred to a new private school named Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School. My class became a second family to me and my skills as a writer grew.  The English Department was my haven where I could express myself with like-minded people. I learned more about African American writers and Toni Morrison became my favorite writer.  I had the space to write all the time in my journal.  During this time, I became a writing tutor with other students and discover my love for poetry as well. We were named The Wolfpack Writing Center for all students to use. I spoke at a student symposium about my essay about on Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”.

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I graduated from Don Bosco High School with honors, and I got accepted into Trinity Washington University in DC with merit scholarships. I almost failed out of my science courses, and I switched my major from Biology to English (minor in Education).

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I graduated with English BA & Education minor.  I spent my summer looking for employment and realized I wanted to build my education experience by working with younger children. I  was looking for after-school programs and stumbled on The Campagna Center.  The Campagna Center is a non-profit organization targeting children in public schools who need after-school support.

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I worked at Campagna Center for 3 years. I was a group leader for K-2ND during after care in Douglas MacArthur Elementary and George Mason Elementary. I oversaw their supervision, created art projects and helped them with their homework. During those summers, I worked at The Vine Preschool where I was the assistant teacher for age 3-4 helping the multiple lead teachers.  I was trying out different ages and enjoyed first grades the most.

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I decided on changing my career path to be more impactful in the classroom. I enrolled in MAT program at American University to become an Elementary School Teacher. Then, I left my aftercare job and got a new job as an assistant first grade teacher at Grace Episcopal School to learn more about the profession.

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I taught my first math lesson to the first grades in my class. This moment was nerve-wracking at first but the students were engaged and I used skills from both of the AU classes to create my lesson. The lead teacher gave good feedback and we continue to work together. I enjoyed how everything came full circle for me.