Who is Dr. Aurelia VonTress?

Hi! I’m Aurelia. My students call me Dr. V, my friends call me Ari, and my camp buddies call me Sparkle. You’re welcome to call me any of those that you choose.

My story, like yours most likely, is complicated. When you were little, did you have a hard time deciding what to be when you grew up? Yeah, me too. So, I decided to do all the things:

In past life chapters, I have been a drama geek, an obnoxious teenager, a world traveler, a campus minister in the Catholic Church, a magazine editor, a doll maker, a farmer, an almost nun, an artist, a calligrapher, a blogger, and a fountain pen addict. Today, I continue my trend of taking on way too many things but kicking ass anyway by working as an educator in English composition and literature as well as being a writer, planner addict, friend, daughter, mentor, life coach, and, most importantly, the dog mom to the best furbabies you could ask for. It may seem like I have too much going on, but that’s the way I like it.

I have accepted the fact that life may not always make sense, so I try to break the mold as much as possible. I’m a white rural Missouri farm girl with a PhD in Xicana literature, focusing my research on bridging communities and breaking boundaries. I’m a full time community college instructor and a life coach who works with people to find their favorite versions of themselves. If any of that interests you, please make an appointment to meet with me.