I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and I went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California for my undergraduate degree. Moving to the coast was pivotal for me, and taking Marine Biology my first semester, and Evolutionary Biology my Junior year ignited my science research interests. At Occidental, I did my undergrad research with the Moore Laboratory of Zoology and John McCormack. After graduating I moved to Rhode Island to work for Jon Puritz, Carlos Prada, and Hollie Putnam. At URI I get to tackle challenging lab techniques, teach my lab members, and facilitate their research. In my free time I enjoy hiking, birding, cooking, printmaking, photography, and reading. Find my personal website here.