Hailing from small-town Ohio, I am a higher education practitioner who has studied and worked at universities in Ohio, Utah, New York, Washington, D.C., and Kansas. I have many different interests and hobbies that range from learning languages and studying linguistics to knitting, doing Indigenous beadwork, and collecting "Le Petit Prince" in the local language during my travels. I am always on the look out for my next temporary hyper-fixation!

 

When not at work at an institution of higher education, you can find me attempting to escape reality through reading an epic fantasy novel, playing cozy video games like "Animal Crossing,"  figuring out what my next travel adventure will be, or just being in community with others.

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My general joie de vivre stems from my love of languages and different cultures which was nurtured and cultivated by my high school French teacher who inspired me to get out and experience the world.  Because of her influence, I moved abroad during a gap year after high school where I was a Rotary exchange student in Belgium and subsequently pursued not just one, but three language-related degrees. I hold a bachelor's in French and a bachelor's in linguistics from The Ohio State University, and a master's in linguistics from the University of Utah.

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While at the University of Utah, I had the unique opportunity to work closely in Shoshone language revitalization efforts. I owe more than I can ever possibly repay to the many Shoshone folks in my life who have generously welcomed me with open arms and shared their knowledge and wisdom, which has been transformational and changed the trajectory of my life forever.

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For the past decade, my professional aspirations have changed from wanting to be an academic in linguistics to working towards the collective liberation of all people, through the field of student affairs and student development. I received a master's in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and have since worked at universities in areas such as multicultural affairs, housing and residence life, cooperative applied education, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and civil rights and Title IX policy. 

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As a Marxist I work to dismantle oppressive systems with the ultimate goal to drive positive change towards collective liberation, centering the liberation of individuals and communities who have been systematically denied access to life-sustaining resources and basic human dignity. I take my lead from folks like Frantz Fanon, James Baldwin, bell hooks, Paulo Freire, Walter Mignolo, Maria Lugones, Aníbal Quijano, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, and Toni Morrison, to guide my praxis in liberatory education.

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I am a doctoral student in the Adult Learning and Leadership program at Kansas State University. ​​​​