As part of a military family I spent a frequent part of my childhood moving and experiencing new places. I grew up in Illinois, Hawaii and Kansas, though most of my time has been spent in Wilmington and Raleigh North Carolina. I studied Meteorology and Marine Science at North Carolina State University , where I was also a Park Scholar. My initial interest in the ocean and atmosphere stemmed from exposure to over six major hurricanes in Hawaii and North Carolina combined.

In 2006 I performed a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates at MOTE Marine Laboratory with Dr. Gary Kirkpatrick, where I studied optical properties and their applications to Harmful Algal Bloom detection using a Brevebuster, aptly named for it's ability to detect Florida Red Tide or K. Brevis. As a result of this opportunity I found my way onto research cruises in the Gulf of Mexico, the Galapagos Archipelago and into a physical oceanography Master's program with Dr. Ruoying He at North Carolina State University. My Master's thesis involved using statistical techniques to reconstruct cloudy satellite sea-surface-temperature and ocean color imagery. I am now pursuing a career in Oceanography as part of the Coastal Ocean Observation Lab at Rutgers, with Scott Glenn and Oscar Schofield. I've developed a passion for understanding how physical processes such as storms, tides, turbulence and stratification can affect sediment and phytoplankton dynamics in the water column. I've recently spent four months at Palmer Station Antarctica and one month aboard the Laurence M. Gould Research Vessel as part of the Long-Term Ecosystem Research project and will be returning for the next Austral summer field season.

Outside of graduate school I enjoy cycling, running, rock climbing, yoga, kayaking, microbrews and Kung Fu. I've been training in Kung Fu for four years, first under Sifu David Ng at Triangle Kung Fu Arnis in Raleigh, NC and currently under Sifu Hill in New Brunswick, NJ.