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I was raised in the small town of
Preston, located in the southeast corner of
Minnesota.
My parents, Tom and Nancy Byrne,
always supported both me and my brother, Dan, in our adventures growing
up. I was involved in almost every possible activity at our
small town school, from volleyball to track; band, choir, and any
variation of the two; peer help group; drama and dance; and most
importantly, academics. I
graduated at the top of my class of 73 people, ready to be part of a
larger community and on my own.
My first adventure took me to the University of St. Thomas
in St. Paul, MN.
There were several events during my college career that shaped me
into to person I have become today.
One dynamic experience was studying abroad in
London, England in the fall of 2001.
It was an interesting time to be out of the country, as I felt
like a foreigner when the 9/11 attacks took place.
When returning to the country, it felt like a different place,
and I was definitely a different person.
However, while I was in Europe,
I made the most of my time and was able to travel to several different
countries and experience many different cultures. I graduated from St.
Thomas in May 2003.
The experience that opened my eyes to teaching
happened just before my senior year of college.
I accepted a job as the manager of Star Lake Wilderness Camp, a
United Methodist Bible camp located near Pequot Lakes, MN.
Although I had worked in camping
prior to this, mainly as a volunteer counselor or Boundary Waters guide, I took this job not knowing much
about the camp or any of its programs. I am not sure if there was one event that took place, or if it
was the overwhelmingly powerful experience of making a positive impact
in the lives of the youth we served, but I knew when I left camp that I
wanted to find a way to continue that passion and service.
Out of college, I initially accepted a job with Accenture, a technology consulting firm.
I learned even more about myself while working for Accenture,
especially since the company flew me to
St. Louis,
Missouri every week from Monday
through Thursday to work. I
lived in a hotel and felt disconnected from the world, but learned that
I could make it through the bumps along the road and come out ahead.
It was obvious that the corporate world was not for me, and as
fate would have it, a full-time position opened up at the United
Methodist
Camping headquarters in
Minneapolis.
This job felt like my dream job, if a dream job can exist.
I spent most of my time in the office organizing and promoting
camps for youth – something I felt was making a difference in their
lives. It also gave me a
chance to get outside in the summer to work with some of the camps.
 As luck would have it, I
reconnected with a friend I had met in college by the name of Bryan
Pratt. With so many common interests—playing sports, swing dancing,
attending theater productions, and playing cards—we kept ourselves quite
busy. Somewhere in there, Bryan found time to propose, and we were
married in October of 2005.
Change is inevitable, especially when two people
are trying to do what is best for both.
Bryan was spending a lot of time
on the road traveling to Mankato for his job, and although I loved my
job at the Camping Office, I still felt that I wanted to be in a school
district working directly with youth on a daily basis.
We moved to North Mankato in
April of 2006, and things have never been better.
After seven years in the Twin Cities area, I was ready to get
back to my roots of being in a “small” town, even though Mankato is home to nearly
50,000 people. Along with
the move, we decided that it was time I pursue my goal of becoming a
math teacher.
I enrolled in the Graduate Teacher Licensure
program in Fall 2006. I also have been working on finishing up a
math degree at the same time, so I have been quite busy. I have
enjoyed working with organizations such as the Homework Help Program at
the Lincoln Community Center. I have also been working at a small
financial firm in North Mankato while I complete my schooling.
The road is not always easy, but I’ve learned that
if you follow it in the right direction, all things will work out in the
end. I have gone through
some twists and turns to get where I am today, but each obstacle and
each event has changed me and shaped me into who I am and who I hope to
become. I look forward to the world of education and all the
opportunities ahead of me.
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