Stephenie was traditionally educated, spending grades K-12 in the same public school. Her dynamic second grade teacher piqued Stephenie’s interest in becoming an educator herself, and over the years that desire never wavered. As a teen she volunteered to help with the library’s summer reading program, ran the church nursery, and spent an hour each day as an elementary teacher’s aide all four years of high school. She attended college to become a teacher and taught public school before becoming a stay-at-home parent. 

In 2000, Stephenie and her husband adopted their first child, a daughter, from Kolkata, India. Stephenie decided to leave teaching to stay at home with their daughter. The family was joined by a son, also from Kolkata, in 2004. The needs of her children led Stephenie to pursue homeschooling as an option for their education. Stephenie homeschooled her daughter full-time through graduation. Her son began dual-enrollment in public school half days beginning in the eighth grade and will graduate in spring of 2022. Her family uses a variety of resources and approaches, preferring an eclectic style with a heavy Charlotte Mason influence.

Having spent her childhood fishing with her dad and grandma and learning handicrafts like sewing, cross stitching, and crochet from her mom, Stephenie has a wide variety of interests and hobbies. She is an avid reader, enjoying anything from classics to science fiction, with historical fiction being her favorite. She also enjoys scrapbooking, baking, and very amateur photography when time permits. When her children were younger, they played traveling softball and baseball, so most of the summer was spent at the ballfield. The whole family still enjoys watching softball and baseball and attends as many college, semi-professional, and professional games as possible. Stephenie began teaching the primary class at her church Sunday school when she was a teenager, and has now taught the class for more than 30 years.