I was born and raised in Hanmer; graduated from Ecole secondaire Hanmer in 1991; attended Cambrian College – Dental assisting program where I decided that I loved the field so much that I would go on to University and Dental school instead. I completed three years of a Specialist in Biological Sciences program at the University of Toronto and then went on to receive my Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1999 (also at U of T). I returned to Sudbury in 1999 and worked as an associate in a few local practices while starting my family. In 2003 I began as an associate with Dr. Vavra in Hanmer and then purchased the practice in 2006. My goal was to establish a practice in Hanmer where I grew up because this is where I also wanted to raise my family.