Susan's Intro

Hi All. My name is Susan. I am a graduate student in elementary and middle school teaching at Drake University. I have a B.F.A. in music theater and was a professional musician and actor in Chicago and New York until my mid-thirties. I quit theater to raise a family and went back to school in horticulture. I ended up with a focus on organic and sustainable growing. Before I went back to school to get my teaching degree I did a variety of jobs in horticulture: hort therapy, taught organic growing methods, and created eco-art programs. My husband and I have one daughter, Leah, age almost seven.

My background gives me a perspective on science that leads to the creative side of the subject. I think Mr. Kamkwamba was thinking outside the box in his pursuit to find what would save his family. He created something new by gaining every kind of knowledge about the subject, much like a good actor does.