About SEÑORA daum
I am very excited to join the Incarnate Word Academy community! A native of northern Indiana, I am a graduate of St Joe Catholic High School and the University of Notre Dame. Having double majored in government and Spanish at Notre Dame, I was excited to be able to apply all of my learning at my first real job as a teacher at St. Wendelin High School. A small Catholic school in Fostoria, Ohio, St. Wendelin afforded me many opportunities which included teaching Spanish, government and church history; planning and leading weekly liturgies; coaching junior varsity volleyball; serving as the cheerleading sponsor; and launching the annual holiday talent show. Although I enjoyed my time at St. Wendelin, after two years I felt that I had outgrown small town living and decided to leave education and Ohio to pursue a career in writing. After many years in the communications and public relations arenas, I officially returned to teaching in 2016 landing a position at Trinity Catholic High School.
I think I've always been drawn to education. I remember that when I was 8 or 9 years old, I frequently played school with my younger siblings. And guess who was always the teacher? I link my passion for the Spanish language and culture to an amazing high school Spanish teacher. When I was in her class, I thought Spanish was engaging, important and fun. My love of Spanish grew exponentially in college when I spent the summer of my junior year in service as part of a special Notre Dame program. Placed at Casa Juan Diego, a Catholic Worker house in Houston, Texas, I worked alongside other volunteers who were focused on meeting the basic needs of the home's guests (primarily refugees from Central America) and other Houston residents. Among many services, Casa Juan Diego ran a soup kitchen and food pantry, offered temporary housing for those in need and hosted a free medical clinic a few times a month. The program and my bedroom at the Casa ended two weeks before the return date on my plane ticket. So, for the last two weeks of the program, I lived with a family from El Salvador. This family of 14 lived in a modest two-bedroom apartment, but they never hesitated to take me in. Their generosity, faith and love affected me profoundly - I will be forever grateful.
Outside of my professional life, I have been married for 19 years to my St. Louis Blues-loving husband, Jeff. We have a son, David, who will be a junior at St. Dominic High School. And, we have a very energetic, chocolate lab named, Moose. We belong to Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church in St. Charles County where I lector and am the secretary of the pastoral council. I also volunteer as a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. My Little Sister Hannah and I have been matched for six years. As a family, we enjoy volunteering at our parish picnic and fish fries as well as the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
I continue to pursue my passion of writing, blogging when I find the time and have the inclination. I love college football and basketball - especially my Fighting Irish. I take lots of pictures with my iPhone and occasionally share them on social media - mostly Twitter. I love to be outside - whether I'm walking Moose or hiking with my son. I love to travel and dream about criss crossing the country in an RV. I have a large, crazy extended family who live all across the country. Getting together with them always means lots of food, conversation, laughter and fun! Finally, I enjoy most genres of music. I frequently ask students to share their favorite artists and songs with me. I believe you can learn a lot about a person when you listen to his/her music.
I think I've always been drawn to education. I remember that when I was 8 or 9 years old, I frequently played school with my younger siblings. And guess who was always the teacher? I link my passion for the Spanish language and culture to an amazing high school Spanish teacher. When I was in her class, I thought Spanish was engaging, important and fun. My love of Spanish grew exponentially in college when I spent the summer of my junior year in service as part of a special Notre Dame program. Placed at Casa Juan Diego, a Catholic Worker house in Houston, Texas, I worked alongside other volunteers who were focused on meeting the basic needs of the home's guests (primarily refugees from Central America) and other Houston residents. Among many services, Casa Juan Diego ran a soup kitchen and food pantry, offered temporary housing for those in need and hosted a free medical clinic a few times a month. The program and my bedroom at the Casa ended two weeks before the return date on my plane ticket. So, for the last two weeks of the program, I lived with a family from El Salvador. This family of 14 lived in a modest two-bedroom apartment, but they never hesitated to take me in. Their generosity, faith and love affected me profoundly - I will be forever grateful.
Outside of my professional life, I have been married for 19 years to my St. Louis Blues-loving husband, Jeff. We have a son, David, who will be a junior at St. Dominic High School. And, we have a very energetic, chocolate lab named, Moose. We belong to Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church in St. Charles County where I lector and am the secretary of the pastoral council. I also volunteer as a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. My Little Sister Hannah and I have been matched for six years. As a family, we enjoy volunteering at our parish picnic and fish fries as well as the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
I continue to pursue my passion of writing, blogging when I find the time and have the inclination. I love college football and basketball - especially my Fighting Irish. I take lots of pictures with my iPhone and occasionally share them on social media - mostly Twitter. I love to be outside - whether I'm walking Moose or hiking with my son. I love to travel and dream about criss crossing the country in an RV. I have a large, crazy extended family who live all across the country. Getting together with them always means lots of food, conversation, laughter and fun! Finally, I enjoy most genres of music. I frequently ask students to share their favorite artists and songs with me. I believe you can learn a lot about a person when you listen to his/her music.