Carmen Garner

About Carmen

• I was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• I was on my own by the time I was 11 years old—I lost my mom to HIV/AIDS, my dad left, and my brother got a life sentence in prison.
• Whether it was foster homes or elsewhere, I lived in 17 different places before even graduating high school—I knew that I needed to become a teacher to help other kids going through similar struggles.
• I went into college to become a teacher, but was discouraged when I learned about the tests I’d have to take—I ended up trying art and graduated with a degree in graphic design instead.
• After college, I found my way back into teaching because I knew it was my calling to help students.
• I started as a science teacher and taught earth science, life science, and physical science to middle school students before eventually transitioning to teaching visual art for K-5 students.
• I wrote a fully illustrated memoir, “From This to That,” about overcoming the struggles of my past—I use my memoir as a tool to help other at-risk teens.
• I also founded a nonprofit mentorship program called Inner City Anglers, where we expand on the idea that teaching a man to fish will feed him for life.