• For any further information: jkokaiselforschools@pm.me
Blog

About Me

Who I am.

God has gifted me with a creative spirit, an abstract mind, a can-do attitude, perseverant dedication to stay the course and go the distance. 

I am an adventurer, a long distance runner, a mountain biker, a Ragnar captain, an in-line skater, a downhill skier… I’ve learned to run in the rain and snow, hot and cold, on roads and trails over hills and through storms. I’ve learned to do it all through the light of day AND the dark of night.

I am also ALL ABOUT DESIGN. In High School I was winning awards in Art and Writing competitions. In my Senior year NASA and NSTA flew me to Washington DC where I accepted an award for Second Place in SSIP’s Interplanetary Art Competition.

After high school I went on to earn my BFA in Illustration Design at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and from there I began my career as a professional photographer for Ellis Photography, a premier Wedding Photography Studio in the Twin Cities area. I have been in the photography business for 19 years. I have helped manage the studio and photographers, market custom product lines, run wedding convention booths, and I have owned my own small business for five years.

Education and Experience

Artist - Designer - Photographer

CREATIVE

Studio & Wedding Photographer for Ellis Photography

Business Owner of Jaime K. Photography

Board Member of United Parenting Coalition

Front Desk Clerk at New Kingdom Healthcare

Rosemount High School Graduate

Minneapolis College of Art and Design Graduate

BFA in Illustration Design

Community
Leader

Family and Politics

SERVICE

Married with two school-age children

12-Year Resident of Woodbury

2021 Candidate for District 833 School Board

Youth Group Mission Trip Leader and Church Volunteer at Woodbury Lutheran Church

Campaign Volunteer for Demand a Better Plan Vote No Committe, an SD47 Senator and an SD47B Representative

Influencer of Policy and Encourager of Family through Blog writing and research

SoWashCo schools volunteer for PARP, classroom reading, field trips, and fundraisers.

Outdoor Adventurer

Running - Camping - Gardening

ACTIVE

Captain of Ragnar River Road and 5x Ragnar Road and Trail Runner

Distance Runner in Grandmas Marathon and over a dozen Half Marathons, 10 Mile and 10K Races

Up North Tent Camper with Family and Friends Every Summer

Home Gardener and Landscape Designer

 

Previous
Next

Family

I have been married to my husband Chris for 21 years. We live in Woodbury, MN with our two children, Layton and Carley, who currently attend Concordia Academy High School as a Senior and a Freshman. They attended district 833 public schools for 10 years prior to 2021. They started out at Liberty Ridge Elementary, then Lake Middle School and finally East Ridge High School.

Contact Me

The SMILE has it

I began looking at private schools because my children were drowning in the Secondary schools of District 833.

  • Every day I asked about their classwork. Every day I poured over the lesson plans online.
  • Videos were becoming the norm of every school day in every class (including music and gym).
  • My kids were rarely assigned books to read or papers to write. The little bit that was assigned was very critical of our families Faith in God and challenged our moral foundation.
  • My son decided he was no longer a reader. I didn’t understand because he used to LOVE reading.
  • The color disappeared from both my son and daughters clothing. At the same time, their personalities became monotone as well.
  • The smiles were gone from both their faces. Where there once had been humor now their was none.
  • School became a dreaded chore they couldn’t wait to be done with.

School should not do this to a child.

I didn’t know why my kids were so miserable, but I was willing to do whatever it took to save them from drowning. Even if it meant working a second job, cutting home expenses, and driving them 20 minutes away.

And so that is what I did.

  1. After 10 years on autopilot as a parent, I chose sacrifice over convenience and enrolled my children in local Christian private schools.
  2. In order to pay for private school tuition, I cut family expenses by $800/month and took a new job at New Kingdom Healthcare.
  3. Within a couple weeks of taking a new job, I submitted my affidavit to run for 833 school board in 2021.
  4. After my loss in the election, I turned my school board campaign site into JAiME for SCHOOLS to continue researching why this was happening in District 833.
  5. I attended my first caucus in 2022 and was elected a delegate to represent CD4 at the State Convention.
  6. I was active with the Demand a Better Plan VOTE NO campaign and I helped defeat the largest referendum in state history (had it passed).
  7. I follow the policy being passed at local school board meetings and I network with residents in surround communities also paying attention.
  8. I recognize that the bigger the Government, the less control at local levels.
  9. I support candidates who respect the family unit and promote strong healthy households with a mom and a dad.
  10. I write and write and write and write. This is how I meditate on the problem and find solutions.

The SMILES have returned. The COLOR has returned, and so has the LAUGHTER.

Share this:

Like this:

Like Loading...