About Me

My name is Arielle Haze. I was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL the year Star Wars – A New Hope premiered. So yes, I am a Gen-X’er. However, like the Gen-Y kids, I grew up on technology, having a home computer since the late 80s. I loved playing video games and fixing broken electronics, but I also enjoyed climbing trees and taking karate and gymnastics classes. Most of my young life was spent with my mother and younger sister. Unfortunately, I lost my mother to an accident when I was 16. Living alone with a 12 year old in an old, ranch house, I learned how to pay bills, balance accounts, call for septic / well services, board up for hurricanes, buy groceries, cook meals, and play the role of “mother” to my sister and our cats.

Keeping my grades up, I was admitted to the University of Florida right out of high school. I graduated with my BA in Liberal Arts & Sciences, all the while working at the student art center. There, I learned pottery (wheel & hand-building), silversmithing, stained glass fusing, artwork sales / accounting, and how to host gallery shows. Upon graduation, I married my college sweetheart and moved back to South Florida. I worked a few entry-level administrative jobs, but quickly moved into the fields of web & graphic design. Passionate about politics, I got involved in local government. With the grassroots efforts of the area HOA, I helped create the Town of Southwest Ranches, and even physically helped build our first town hall. I was the first Town Clerk and Records Manager of Southwest Ranches, as well as their photographer, webmaster, and technology expert. We were the first fully paperless municipality in Florida, thanks to my efforts. In my free time, I took karate classes, spent time in my darkroom (old school photo habits die hard), and I volunteered at our local big cat rescue sanctuary.

In 2003, my (then) husband took a job in Los Angeles, and I followed a few months later. I was so happy to be living close to my sister again, who moved out a few years prior. I spent a few years working as a freelance wedding photographer and executive assistant to high-level executives. Within two years, I was working as a project manager at Disney Store headquarters. I managed huge, multi-million dollar projects in costume design and fashion, focusing mostly on human resources and logistics. After a peaceful and friendly divorce in 2006, and the 2008 mass lay-offs, I focused on growing my wedding photography and officiating businesses. I also went back to school to pursue my deepest passion – teaching! I have always loved teaching. I taught photography (private lessons), logistics to corporate teams, and tutored math to friends in college.

Flash forward to 2016… I have been teaching math to under-served teen girls for the past 6 years at an amazing Big Picture school in Los Angeles (Echo Park). I earned my master’s degree in Curriculum Design & Instruction through Technology with the highest honors (straight A’s). My fiance, Kyle, & I celebrated 6.5 years together and are planning a January 2017 wedding. My sister is happily married and getting ready to start a family. I have incredible friends, two beautiful and happy cats, and I am ready to take the next steps in my life! Kyle & I have decided that it’s time for us to invest in a home and move to Yucca Valley, an area we love so very much! We love hiking, traveling, and spending time being creative! Living in a tiny apartment in Los Angeles, it is hard for Kyle to play drums and for me to spread art supplies all over the place. We dream of a home where we can have a music and photo studio, a work-out room and an art room, a view of the mountains, and a large kitchen!

Though I will miss my students and colleagues dearly, I am very excited to bring my expertise in teaching math through technology to new kids in the desert cities. I can’t wait to meet my new students, colleagues, and administrative team! I hope to join the photography and yearbook clubs. I am hopeful that I can take students on photo hikes and do fun math projects with the school’s STE(A)M team! I can’t wait to make new friends, have new adventures, go hiking in Joshua Tree & Palm Springs, and enjoy the wide open spaces of the desert! The future is very bright, and I plan to be one of it’s shining stars!