I am a microbiologist by training with a passion for science, learning, and teaching. I received my B.S. in Biology from the College of Charleston (CofC) in 2009. It was here at CofC that I began tutoring both introductory biology and organic chemistry courses. After a year of tutoring I became a Supplemental Instruction Leader for biology and chemistry courses at CofC. The Supplemental Instruction sessions were essentially large-scale tutoring events held once a week that I believe provided an optimal training experience. After college, I pursued graduate level training in Biomedical Sciences at The Ohio State University (OSU). In 2015, I received my Ph.D. from the College of Medicine at OSU in Biomedical Sciences with a special emphasis in Microbial Pathogenesis. During graduate school I fell in love with the field of microbiology and subsequently joined a laboratory dedicated to studying bacterial pathogenesis or how bacteria cause disease. I was also a guest lecturer for a laboratory techniques course as well as a mentor to a high school student for eight weeks. During this eight-week period, I taught and mentored my student to become proficient and independent in a research setting while also learning basic biological and microbiological principles. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research associate at Washington University School of Medicine. I continue to utilize concepts and techniques from biology, molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry to better understand the mechanisms bacteria utilize to cause human disease.

Outside of the lab, I spend my time with my fianc who I met in biology class at CofC. We love camping and hiking and we both have a passion for the beach, especially, the coastal area of South Carolina. Our dream is to own water front property in Charleston, South Carolina enjoying the Southern lifestyle. I like to stay fit by running and really enjoy playing the guitar. My career goal is to be a part of team that develops new therapeutic treatment strategies to combat multidrug resistant bacterial infections.