By 2003, Ms. Dianne Halsey was ready to become a teacher. After all, she had already worked for United Airlines in San Francisco as an aircraft maintenance technician, for Evergreen International Airlines in New York as an aircraft maintenance planner, for Jacob Javits Convention Center as a customer service supervisor, and in Trinidad, Wisconsin as a business owner. Teaching was the next big adventure.

She would encourage potential teachers to consider a similar path, with their own strengths. “Do another job first, get some real world experience,” she said that she would tell them. “Then decide if you want to teach.”

Ms. Halsey has earned several degrees that have prepared her for her previous and current jobs. She went to UC Davis to earn her Masters and her Teaching Credential, but she also went to Vaughn College of Aeronautics to earn her AAS in Avionics and a Bachelors in Aircraft Maintenance; to San Jose State for her pre-Masters in Business Administration (MBA); to Skyline College to study Business and to Solano Community College where she earned AA degrees in Real Estate and Liberal Arts and is currently in the Mechatronics program. She thanks her brother for his influence in her education and would encourage others to “never stop learning.”

She started her own teaching career in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District teaching at Grange Middle School but came to Armijo in 2017. She teaches Intro to Engineering and Principles of Engineering. Last year she taught Business Math but next year she will add a new Advanced Placement Computer Science class as well. She is also one of the advisers for the popular Robotics club at Armijo.

While Ms. Halsey has a very technical background, she gets down to nature for fun. She said that she enjoys backpacking, hiking, traveling, camping and fishing and enjoys going to National Parks.