Hi! I’m a traveling artist, musician, athlete, and teacher.
I’m originally from Santa Barbara, California.
I taught English to high schoolers and elementary school kids Spain for 3 years – 1 year in Almendralejo and 2 years in Malaga. I also taught at a junior high school in Japan for 2 years in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture.
Then I taught 3rd grade in Pereira, Colombia. I taught math, science, social studies, reading, and writing to 20 Colombian students in English.
I write songs for my students – see my youtube channel and take a listen!
Click here for my original “The Five Senses” song.
I’ve been living my dream life since 2011 – traveling and working abroad.
Recap of life after high school:
2008: Graduated from San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, California where I was the editor in chief of the school newspaper, member of the softball team, and courtroom artist for the mock trial team. I took classes at Santa Barbara City College to rack up college credits.
Summer 2008: Epic 6 week backpacking trip with Dad in Chile and Argentina, where we
hanglided off a mountain on skis and stared in awe at Iguazu Falls.
2008 to 2011: Attended University of California, Santa Cruz, where I majored in Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing and graduated a year early. I worked for the school newspaper City on a Hill Press, was an artist for the Jewish Journal, played on the women’s ultimate frisbee team, and climbed trees in my free time.
2011 to 2012: Backpacked, volunteered, and trekked across New Zealand. Highlights were volunteering on a dairy farm and the 7 day Routeburn and Greenstone Caples Trek.
2012 to 2013: Southeast Asia backpacking tour: Thailand (I stayed for 3 months, my highlight being a 12 day Thai Massage School in a rural village), Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, (renting a motorbike for a solo road trip) Indonesia, and Malaysia.
2013 to 2014: Working holiday year in Australia where I picked strawberries, washed dishes, and played music in the streets to earn money for traveling.
2014 to 2015: Moved back to California to figure out my next plan and worked at the SBCC writing center.
2015 to 2017: Taught English in Fukui, Japan at 2 junior high schools with the JET program where I survived snowy winters and drove around in my tiny car. I played futsal on the weekends and also found a frisbee team.
2018 to 2020: Taught English to high schoolers in a small Spanish pueblo called Almendralejo for a year, then moved to Malaga, where I worked at an elementary school. Such a magical experience!
2020-2021: During the pandemic, I went back to grad school at UCSB and got a teaching credential and masters in education.
2021-2022: I took a year off to travel (3 months in Europe, 2 months in Nepal and Paris), work as a substitute teacher in Santa Barbara, and find my next international job.
2023 – 2024: I worked at Liceo Ingles in Pereira, Colombia, teaching 3rd grade!
2024 – 2025: Three month Europe trip in the fall, substitute teaching in the winter and spring before finding a new teaching job for fall of next year!
Where Is Amber? 