Karissa Brandenburg

Hello! My name is Karissa (Fitzgerald) Brandenburg. I was just recently married on August 23, 2014. I am a senior at Frostburg State University. I am studying Elementary and Middle School Education, with a specialization in English and language arts. As a child, I used writing as an outlet for some tough situations that I went through, and it stuck with me to adulthood, and now it is a huge part of my career.

I work for a program at the Riversdie YMCA in Cumberland, MD called Project AIM (Adult Identity Mentoring). This program is taught in middle scchools to seventh grade students in Allegany County, MD, Garrett County, MD, and Mineral County, WV, and it is what inspired me to extend my career to middle school.

I enjoy writing, reading, decorating and creating things, and hanging out with my family, husband, and friends. I also immensely enjoy drinking coffee to help keep my sanity with my crazy shedules. If you ever need a hand reaching something too high, by the way, I am also very tall (5'10"), and like to embrace it now, since I didn't as a child. I would say that is something that makes me unique.

I am so passionate about being an educator, and I am beyond excited to be more than just a Project AIM facilitator. I am ready to have my very own classroom. Teaching is, and always has been, what I wanted to do with my life, and it gives me a great sense of joy to do it.