Growing up near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland has instilled in me a lifelong passion for aquatic ecosystems and the plants and animals they support. I earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Towson University and went on to work in aquatic conservation for the National Park Service. My research interests in aquatic biodiversity and community distribution have taken me to ecosystems around the United States, including the Park Range of the Rockies, the High Sierra in California, and urban streams of the Mid-Atlantic. I am excited to contribute to the ACES Lab and study freshwater mussels in the southeast! 

I am a senior majoring in Multidisciplinary Studies on a pre-med track with the goal of becoming an emergency medicine physician. Growing up in rural Mississippi sparked my appreciation for nature and motivated my interest in the ACES Lab’s focus on freshwater animal conservation. I am also drawn to the opportunities for hands-on field research, which I find both rewarding and inspiring.