My Story
Dana Perkins
For as long as I can remember, I have loved reading and writing. In elementary school, I was the kid who got excited when our Language Arts teacher handed out a new vocabulary list each week with the following assignment – “Use the words in sentences showing you understand the meaning.” With those words, I would write whole stories with fleshed-out characters and elaborate plotlines, exercising my imagination and creating a world on paper. That’s when my love of the written word truly began.
I chose to major in English at U.C. Berkeley because I was passionate about literature, literary analysis, and creative writing. Eventually, I would go on to earn an MFA in Writing at the University of San Francisco, honing my short fiction skills as well as dipping my toes into poetry and creative non-fiction. While pursuing my Master’s, I was also in the process of earning my single-subject teaching credential in English. After three years coaching a high school rowing team after college, I realized how much I enjoyed working with and connecting with teenagers. Choosing teaching English as my career -- sharing my passion for words, pens, paper, books, and ideas with students -- just made sense.
Over the course of my 25-year career in education, I have worked at independent middle schools, high schools, and community colleges in Seattle and the Bay Area. I have taught students how to read critically, how to think outside of the box, how to express themselves clearly, and how to exercise their creativity. There is no better feeling than watching someone have an “aha” moment during a brainstorming session for a paper topic or turn in a paper with a smile on their face, knowing that they are proud of their work.
In the last two years, I’ve created content for a startup in Seattle, exercising both the analytic and creative sides of my brain, always with the goal of engaging and educating the reader on the topic at hand. My work reminds me that while writing doesn’t always come easily, the feeling of accomplishment you get when you produce a great finished piece is second to none.
