As a member of the University Honors College at Western Washington Univeristy, I was required to complete a capstone prior to degree completion. The results of the project were to be presented to an audience of non-geoscientists (aside from my advisor, Dr. Jackie Caplan-Auerbach), so my objective was to make content as inclusive as possible, with little to no geophysical knowledge necessary. To successfully graduate with Honors, a piece of media also needed to be submitted to the WWU Cedar Archives. Although this component could be filled with as much technical jargon as desired, I decided to write a summary of my research on concert seismicity that could be largely understood by anyone interested in the subject. While it was challenging at times to write in this manner, my capstone presentation and publication were the most rewarding moments of my undergraduate studies.  The paper abstract and full PDF can be found here.

I spent the first four weeks of my Spring 2023 term learning how to be an effective mentor in mathematics in a classroom setting. I was also trained in how to make higher education more accessible to, and equitable for, students from diverse backgrounds. For the remainder of the quarter, I commuted to Ferndale High School (about 20 minutes north of the WWU campus) to mentor for the Golden Eagle Academy (GEA) program. GEA is composed of students completing virtual Edgenuity courses in-person, so my mentorship served to provide additional problem-solving methods outside of those given in pre-recorded lectures. During my time at Ferndale, I was able to work on my own communication skills, which I will continue to refine throughout my career.

During Winter 2022, I served as a Teaching Fellow for a lab section of Geology 101. Alongside then-graduate student Willa Rowan (Geoscience MS), I helped facilitate lab activities and answer questions as needed. In addition, I presented a pre-lab lecture on metamorphic processes and rock types, which allowed me to strengthen my public speaking skills in an academic setting filled with students pursuing majors in STEM and humanities-based subjects. This experience served as my first taste of teaching, which ultimately ignited my passion for science communication.