I was born and raised in rural Minnesota, the only girl among four brothers, and even most of my cousins were boys. That early experience taught me to hold my own and do everything they did. By the time I entered the University of Minnesota in 1968 as a trumpet student, I was already used to being one of the few women in the room. Of more than 50 trumpet players in the University Band program, I was one of only a handful of women. In my freshman year, I was honored to be the only freshman invited to perform with the University of Minnesota’s Wind Ensemble on a seven-week cultural exchange tour of the former Soviet Union. We performed in 10 cities and, on the way home, in the White House Rose Garden for President Nixon. That trip not only cemented lifelong friendships with fellow musicians and conductor Frank “Dr. Ben” Bencriscutto but also introduced me to my future husband, clarinetist David Hawley.

When I graduated, women were rarely hired to direct high school bands, and one professor even told me that women shouldn’t teach band at that level. I resolved to become the best middle school band director I could. In 1972, I began teaching in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and quickly found joy in helping kids discover music. I soon established traditions that would become hallmarks of my career, including student performance trips to New Orleans and Chicago, and later to Europe with the Great Lakes Ambassadors of Music. I always believed in Learning About Life Through Music, and there was no better classroom than the world itself.

Over the decades, I served in six of the nine schools in the Hopkins School District, including 26 years at West Junior High. I became a founding officer of the Minnesota Band Directors Association, presented at state and national conferences, and, in time, was the first woman elected to two honorary societies of distinguished music educators. In 2012, the Minnesota Music Educators Association named me Educator of the Year, and in 2013 my alma mater, Northfield High School, honored me with its Distinguished Alumni Award.

Teaching always meant more to me than awards. I watched countless students grow into leaders and musicians in their own right, and those are the honors I hold most dear.

Teaching also opened a door I never expected. Early in our marriage, Dave and I faced a hard truth: despite two teaching incomes, we were barely keeping up with everyday expenses and had nothing set aside for college, emergencies, or retirement. That realization launched a years-long education in financial planning, through books, newsletters, workshops, and CFP coursework, and a growing conviction that most people had never had anyone sit down with them to explain how any of it worked. I started a women’s investment group at Hopkins West called West Women Investors, and word spread quickly. Hundreds of teachers in Hopkins and surrounding school districts attended the financial awareness classes I taught, which I called Plan Now, Smile Later. I also offered private financial consultations, sitting down with people to honestly assess where they were financially, help them think about where they wanted to go, and build a plan to get there. What drew people in, I think, was that I had nothing to sell, only years of research and a genuine desire to help. That experience planted a seed that eventually grew into the Start Smart series, the financial literacy books I wish someone had handed me at twenty.

Music, travel, and community have intertwined throughout my life. Beyond the classroom, I performed with the Medalist Concert Band for nearly three decades, and in 2014 I was humbled by a tribute concert featuring more than 150 students, colleagues, and friends. Always, my husband Dave stood beside me as a fellow educator, performer, clinician, and lifelong partner in music. I’ve often said that Dave gives me wings and roots, and the freedom to listen to my adventuresome spirit. Our daughter Diana and her partner Lars, our son Doug and his wife Rachel, and our four grandchildren, who light up my life, are the heart of everything.

In 2015, after 43 years of teaching, I retired as the last teacher still working in the Hopkins-Golden Valley district following the 1970s merger. Fishing had always been a passion, and retirement finally gave me the time to pursue it seriously. In 2012, I became one of the first women to join the Minnesota Valley In-Fisherman Club, and the following year I was named Rookie of the Year. Since then, I’ve immersed myself completely, joining additional clubs, competing in the Ultimate Fishing Camps on Leech Lake, and fishing six segments of the NWT National Walleye Tour, culminating in an 8th-place finish with pro angler Isaac Lackish in Sault Ste. Marie. Fishing, like music, has been a source of discovery, joy, and camaraderie.

What I didn’t expect was how naturally teaching would follow me onto the water. I now lead women’s fishing retreats in Ontario, Canada; guide on Lake Vermilion; and offer fishing education sessions that help others build confidence with everything from casting and trolling to reading sonar and Side Imaging. One of my former students calls this my “second act,” and I think he’s right. The passion for learning and teaching hasn’t slowed at all. It has simply moved from the classroom to the boat.

That early taste of the world as a college freshman never left me. Since retiring, I’ve traveled to the Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Germany, and I look forward to wherever the next adventure leads. Closer to home, I’ve also become a passionate pickleball player, playing two or three times a week and loving the remarkable mix of people the sport brings together.

Looking back, I see a life built on passion for music, kids, community, and the outdoors. My prescription for success is simple: “Find your passion, follow your heart, and love what you do. You will find happiness and never work a day in your life.”