"Most children have a bug period. I never grew out of mine."- E.O. Wilson

 

As a child I was always drawn to the natural world. Growing up in rural North Carolina and then moving to suburban Pittsburgh, I was always outside--exploring the woods behind our house in NC and then futzing around in the garden in Pittsburgh.

 

I first started in pollination biology and ecology as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman's lab at University of Pittsburgh in 2007-2009, fascinated by the world of wild pollinators I never knew existed.

 

I continued to study plant-pollinator interactions as an NSF REU student with Dr. Stuart Wagenius at Chicago Botanic Garden and as a Master's student with Dr. Randy Mitchell at the University of Akron.

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I have also had the opportunity to work in Oregon as a noxious weed intern with the Coos Bay BLM, in North Dakota as a bee lab technician at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, in Costa Rica as a sea turtle intern with the Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation, and as an English teacher on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with TAPIF.

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I am a lover of music, dance, learning languages, being outdoors, traveling, and long walks on the beach in search of sea turtles.

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My goals for the future include working toward expanding healthy food access, educating the public about the importance of biodiversity conservation, and connecting with small farmers to help them create more sustainable and profitable farms.