Leah

Hi! I’m Leah!

I come from a beautiful, small town tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains in Southwest VA, called Damascus. I grew up on a beef cattle farm, showing steers and sheep with 4-H, and feeding cows before school. Those things were all good and well, but more my brother's style; I much preferred flipping and dancing around on the gymnastics floor. Gymnastics taught me a lot about some of my favorite things: self expression, athleticism, and travel! After I left my tiny town in VA, I went to a tiny college called High Point University in North Carolina! This is where my tiny view of the world began to shift. I went on 2 extended mission trips to New York City during the summers after my Sophomore and Junior years. During my second summer,  I had the opportunity to teach a group of 4th grade students in China Town, Brooklyn. Although my views that originally brought me to NYC have changed, I will forever be grateful for the experience because that's when I fell in love with students and teaching! As an upcoming Senior, it was too late for me to get my bachelors in teaching so I began to pursue other routes. That's when someone told me about Teach For America, which was the perfect way for me to enter the education field without having my teaching degree. TFA brought me to Phoenix, Arizona where I fell in love with my students, the desert, and tacos! I have been a teacher for 8 years now; each year bringing its own joys and challenges.  My beautiful students always taught me way more than I ever taught them! Throughout my time as an educator, I've also had the opportunity to coach multiple sports, my favorite being cross country. Some of my favorite experiences with students include running up mountains and down Phoenix canals sharing stories, frustrations and dreams. Running has become such an incredible way for me to get to know people and express myself. Running has also brought me to my favorite thing I do in my adult life-hashing! (What's hashing? See our blog post about it)! Running with the Hash House Harriers-becoming a "Hasher"- has been the ultimate form of self expression for me! This is where I have met many of my greatest friends, experienced some of the most awesome parts of the country (and now, world!), and ultimately where I found my Tyler NairBare. I guess I really like him and I would call us Adventure Partners and so here we are-off on the adventure of a lifetime! Who knows what this will bring for us as a couple and as individuals, but we're sure ready to find out! On-On!