Whitney

About Me

● Education: B.S. Natural Science, M.A. Child and Adolescent Literacy, Ed.D. Educational Leadership for Social Justice

● Religion: Catholic

● Favorite Food: Tacos

● Favorite Movie: Notting Hill

● Favorite Candy: KitKat (because as my nephew says “you can share them.”)

My Friends & Family

Family: I am lucky to be close to my family and we get to see each other often. We love to play in the backyard, plan trips, and celebrate holidays together. My parents have been married for 50 years and live close by. My brother, sister-in-law, and my 2 nephews also live close by and we love to go on adventures together to the beach or playing at the lake. I’m also close to my extended family and as a big Italian family we love to get together to eat and chat….and play ping pong!

Friends: I have a tight knit group of friends that I have been friends with for years. Some are from preschool, high school, college and my teaching years. Given they have known me for so many years, they are reliable, fun, and are very supportive of this journey. One of my besties says, “Whitney is resourceful and responsible with a heart of gold. After 25 years of friendship, I can attest to her loyal and fun-loving nature. She gives of herself whole-heartedly to her family and friends. She’s got tenacity and patience mixed with an open and brave heart to create an incredible environment of love, learning, and play for any child.”

My Home & Community

I live in a great neighborhood of West Los Angeles, where I can walk to several restaurants and parks. I love that I can drive to the beach, visit my parents and brother within 15 minutes. I am centrally located so I can easily go to museums, baseball games, and catch a play at the theater or concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I also go up to the mountains a lot with my family to get out of the city and enjoy the fresh air among the pine trees.

My Interests & Hobbies

I enjoy reading, hiking, playing ukulele, water skiing, going to concerts, painting, and traveling. One of my favorite things is to bake birthday cakes and decorate them for my family and friends. I also love taking the kids out on the lake to kayak around the bay.

My Core Values

1. Family Oriented: I go above and beyond for my family

2. Life-Long Learning: I believe you can always keep learning. Some of the best lessons are built from mistakes.

3. Love & Respect: My Nonie (grandma) taught me to live a life with love, respect, and empathy

4. Resilience: I always find a path forward.

5. Curiosity & Creativity: Curiosity about the world has led me to creative adventures that have added a lot of fun to my life.

What My Students Taught Me

The time I spent in the classroom with kids taught me so much about the world. It taught me to listen better, to learn from every experience, to lift people up, to accept people for who they are, and to deeply care about someone who is not immediate family. This is where the seed of adoption was planted. I know it’s not the same thing as a parent, but I will use everything I learned from them to inform my parenting style.

Final Thoughts

I have always wanted to be a mother and have a lot of love to give. I want to share my life with a child, share my values with them, introduce them to the world, and help them navigate the complexities of it. I want to love them for who they are, what they want to do, and help them find their truest self. I appreciate you reading my profile and hope to get to know you!