Supporting those with life-threatening diseases, big bills, and nowhere else to turn
Copyright 2010 One of Our Own Fund
Cristy was born in Harford County, in Maryland, on February 13, 1971, and graduated from C. Milton Wright High School in 1989. Cristy was a three sport standout, garnering honors in women's soccer, basketball, and softball.
She earned a scholarship to Essex Community College and then moved on to Towson University where she graduated in 1993 with a degree in social studies with a certificate in secondary education. In Maryland she taught at Perryville High School, Magnolia Middle School, and Edgewood High School. While at Magnolia Middle School, remembering what caring teachers had done for her in the past, she took in a student named Edwin, a youngster who needed direction, support, and love.
Listen as Cristy defines what, for her, teaching is all about. You will understand the rare talent she brings to her students and to her work.
Cristy was not satisfied with just being a good teacher; she wanted to teach pre-service teachers. She went on to complete advanced degrees, culminating in a Doctor of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Wilmington College in 2003. She taught for a year in the College of Education at Towson University before moving on to the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
As part of her commitment to being the best teacher she could be and being a model for her preservice teachers, she chose to pursue National Board Certification. Rarely has a university professor sought ( or achieved) this recognition, but Cristy did exactly that in 2005, even as she was recovering from cancer surgery.
Today, Edwin, who was the first in his family to graduate from high school, remains a part of Cristy's family. He has been married to Kristal for seven years and lives in Hartford, Connecticutt, where he has a great job that allows Kristal to be a stay at home mom with their two children, Adriana and Javier and also attend nursing school.
Edwin is a testament to a dedicated teacher who cares deeply about her students and their futures.
At Perryville High School, Cristy coached women's basketball, leading to consecutive winning seasons and being named to coach in a national tournament held on the North Shore of Oahu. She coached in this tournament from 1999 to 2003.
It was then that she fell in love with Hawaii and determined to come back someday.
Cristy has led an exemplary life providing a role model for the students she has influenced over 18 years of teaching. The gifts she has brought to countless students cannot be measured. She continues to meet her obligations as a teacher of prospective teachers in the presence of agonizing pain, discomfort, and exhaustion; she refuses to give in or give up.
It is our goal to keep Cristy with us and with her students for many years to come.
