About Me

I am driven by questions of food justice, social-ecological resilience, and equitable, sustainability imaginaries, but my passion for understanding and harnessing human-environmental interactions for good has spanned the fields of fisheries sustainability, nutrition, education, bioregionalism, and more.

For my Master of Arts in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island, I have examined the differential impacts of a fisheries and nutrition intervention in coastal Kenya (Samaki Salama) through an ethnographic and activist research approach. Outcomes of this work have included a methods paper, a research summary, and a multi-media educational product for families.

A native North Carolinian, I earned my BS from Duke in Biology and Environmental Science & Policy in May 2019 and have spent time since working with the FAO on the Illuminating Hidden Harvests project, which aims to shed light on the interdisciplinary impacts of global small-scale fisheries. For my thesis, I examined the effects of marine protected areas on local biodiversity in Palau, where I also worked alongside TNC on the implementation of a community-based fishing cooperative.

My passions lie in situ, and I am excited to engage again with communities directly during my time at URI. Alongside work with the Samaki Salama project in Kenya, I lead Diversity and Inclusion Badge Program workshops and was a mentor in the Our Future Is Science Program. Outside of work, I enjoy nature-wandering, eating good food, watching live music, and spending time with living creatures of all sorts.