Cortnee was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University in Child Development and Family Studies in 2012. Thereafter, she taught preschool for 4 years. In that time, she enjoyed caring for and teaching basic social, problem solving, and language skills to children as they prepared for kindergarten. With that enthusiasm and enjoyment, in 2017 she decided to pursue her master’s degree in elementary education from North Carolina State University. During her graduate studies, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico for two semesters where she taught reading to elementary school students. Her experience studying abroad helped her gain knowledge of education in a global setting and increased her intercultural competency to work with diverse students and families. 

In that time Cortnee deepened her knowledge of the public education system. Since then she has been dedicated to helping students reach their full potential and is passionate to supporting students both inside and outside of the classroom.

In her spare time she enjoys journaling, scrapbooking, and going on long walks. She is also a mom to two beautiful daughters, Alaina and Mikayla.