I received both a B.A. in sociocultural anthropology and a B.A. in archaeology at the University of Cincinnati. It was during my undergraduate career that I participated in a variety of archaeological field projects, such as the Southern Albanian Neolithic Archaeological Project (SANAP). I have also done cultural resource management work in Mariemont, Ohio. While surveying in the Kaibab National Forest as part of the Upper Basin Archaeological Research Project (UBARP), I fell in love with the landscape of Arizona and subsequently moved to the Southwest to pursue a Ph.D. in archaeology.

I recently graduated with my Masters degree in zooarchaeology from the University of Arizona, where I will continue for my Ph.D. My experiences at the UofA have cultivated in me a love for teaching. I have worked as a teaching assistant for a variety of undergraduate introductory courses and have taught discussion sections in sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. I thrive in a classroom environment. I prefer to foster an environment in which students are active participants in the process of learning. I like to encourage students to think critically about the material they are learning and to be a part of a back and forth exchange of ideas. In my free time, I like to paint but I feel that teaching is one of the best avenues I have found for expressing creativity and I plan to continue teaching while pursuing a career in archaeology.