I am a former teacher with thirty years of experience from Head Start five year olds to college freshmen. My interest in international cultures began in high school when I was an exchange student in Lima, Peru and continues today through volunteer work with AFS, an intercultural program. My 2013 children’s picture book, When Christmas Feels Like Home, is based on personal experiences of adapting to a new culture. I have worked to preserve North Carolina stories through several oral history projects that resulted in several narrative nonfiction books.