If at nineteen, UC Davis student Erin Panelli knew she would be living in Davis, raising two children, and continuing her Psychology internship as a career, she may have believed it too good to be true. Now, 18 years later, Erin is doing just that.

Erin, a mother of two, teaches Baby Signs in Yolo and Solano Counties. Providing parents with signs to use to better communicate with their babies, Erin has created a career that has brought her great success. Erin, out of nearly 1,000 instructors nationwide, was recently awarded Outstanding Instructor of the Year, making Erin, a Davis local, nationally recognized. Erin’s success may have something to do with the magnetism of her enthusiasm and genuine love for babies. As Baby Signs Co-president, Dr. Linda Acredolo describes: “There’s a sparkle about her that you can’t keep under, she is just wonderful to be around.”

Staying in Davis after college is a choice Erin doesn’t regret. She loves the intimacy of such a small amiable community. “It used to make me go nuts to always run into people and feel like I couldn’t go to the store without makeup, but now I kind of love it. I love that smallness and knowing friends who know friends. People in Davis really look out for one another to help each other out.”