Mrs. Newell graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a BA in Biology in 1995, received a California teaching credential from National University in 1996 and got her M.A. in Mathematics Education in 2019. Moving frequently before settling in the Pacific Northwest, she held various positions and treasures all the experiences she had serving in the field of education. She taught math and science courses in junior high and high school, coached cross-country and track, and wrote test questions for standardized tests and online programs. She also owned her own tutoring business and worked for an online school, where she was first introduced to homeschooling. Seeing the many benefits of home education, Mrs. Newell has had the joy of homeschooling her 4 children since 2008.

In addition to working at FPA and homeschooling, Mrs. Newell enjoys serving in her church and local homeschool community. She also enjoys home improvement projects, playing the piano, reading, running, hiking, skiing, and going on traveling adventures with her family. She loves working with youth and strives to provide an enjoyable and fun learning environment where her students can develop their testimony of the Lord and His hand in all things as well as see their own divine potential.