In 2021, I received my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, with a concentration in Poetry. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I taught two 200-level courses, worked as a tutor in the Writing Center and served as Assistant Poetry Co-Editor for the literary journal, Grist. My poems have been published by the Moonstone Arts Center, Antithesis Journal, The Bangalore Review, Appalachian Review, and more. I also interned with a Richmond-based non-profit, The Podium Foundation, facilitating creative writing programs for inner-city middle and high school students. My programs focused on the science fiction, biology, and food culture themes, which were always very well received by students. Prior to my time at JYF, I was an English teacher to ninth and tenth grade students at Tabb High School, in the esteemed York County School Division. During this time, I built lasting relationships with staff and students, while also engaging students in creative writing and reading activities that diversified the curriculum and better connected students with the language arts.