Jessie Thinks

I grew up in a nurturing cul-de-sac in Bothell Washington where I spent my summers catching frogs, playing softball and soccer, and reading outside. After I graduated high school I attended Washington State University (go Cougs!) and majored in elementary education. I found myself absolutely loving to teach. There is nothing quite like bossing people who are shorter than you around. Just kidding, I loved building relationships and helping kids of all ages navigate through sticky life situations and encouraging them to love school. After I graduated I began to substitute teach while getting my Masters degree. After years of looking for my “perfect fit” I finally found it as a sixth-grade teacher. A wonderful age where kids are sassy, rude, and really exciting – in my opinion it is the first year where they really start to express themselves as individuals with real lives, problems, and opinions. I happily taught at Frank Love Elementary for a few years before the accident which occurred in December 2012.

After the accident I found myself trying to find where I fit in again. For the first two years I focused solely on my body and regaining as much function as I could. After that I decided that I wanted to be more than just a slightly broken vessel that constantly needed to pull into port for some maintenance on the hull. I began exploring my options of going back to teaching. I volunteered in the school again, and although I don’t know if that could ever be my home again I do know that I delight in my time as Ms. Owen.

Now I describe myself as a sister, a teacher, and advocate, a voracious traveler, a friend, a business opportunist, devoted Seahawk and Mariner fan, a writer, and an expert dog lover. And of course as someone who has a future and adventures ahead of her!