My name is Erica Jacobsen, and I’m was new to Lakewood starting fall 2020. Most recently I served at another ELS school, Columbia Lutheran School in Oregon. My history with Christian education began with attending WELS schools K–12 as I grew up in Wisconsin, then Arizona. When my children became school age, with no ELS/WELS schools available, we chose to homeschool using classical methods. Two of our five children homeschooled through 12th grade, with the others transitioning into Columbia when it opened at Bethany Lutheran Church.

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with my initial teaching licenses focusing on the sciences. While my husband attended Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, I taught high school chemistry and physics in Minnesota. Afterward, his pastoral calls took us to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1998 and The Dalles, Oregon, in 2006. During much of that time, I served as High School Editor for the Journal of Chemical Education and continue to do consulting work for the American Chemical Society writing educational materials. I love reading, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.