I am a graduate of Illinois State University, where I attained my bachelor's degree in Secondary English Education and my master's degree in English Literature with a concentration in Literary and Cultural studies. When I was a graduate student, I worked as a Writing Specialist for the Graduate School at ISU, where I tutored graduate students on ways that they could improve their writing for both their classes and for their thesis and dissertations. I also hold a teaching license for grades 9-12 in both Wisconsin and Illinois. After attaining my bachelor's degree, I worked as a high school English teacher in the US for a year and a half. I also worked as a primary and secondary educator at an international bilingual school in Central America for four years. During my time abroad I taught 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Grade English Language Arts, as well as high school Social Arts, English, and History courses (such as Philosophy, AP US History, Sociology, Contemporary History, and Anthropology.) Though I have taught a wide range of topics, my favorite subjects to teach are English, History, Anthropology, and Philosophy. In my experience working with high school, undergraduate, and graduate students; my favorite experience is when I help a student understand new ways to make connections to a text they are reading, or help them in ways to improve their writing. I believe that to communicate clearly and coherently is to advocate for one's self, which can make all the difference in one's self-confidence and academic success. Outside my academic pursuits, I love traveling, learning new languages, running marathons, cooking, and being a mom.

Some of my favorite hobbies are running marathons and half-marathons, reading, traveling abroad, trail hiking, improving my Spanish, and being a mom.