Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, I am a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a current PhD Candidate in Purdue University's Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. 

Eight years ago, I left my hometown and embarked on an educational journey across the Midwest. Needless to say, it's been quite an adventure!

I began my undergraduate degree at Simpson College (Indianaola, IA) in 2017, where I was a student-athlete and George Washington Carver Fellow. During my summers, I interned at Kansas State University's Department of Chemistry and at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center (Manhattan, KS). In 2020, I graduated from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with Honors and High Distinction.

In 2020, I moved to Purdue University to study molecular plant-pathogen interactions in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. My current research focuses on understanding how tomato roots recognize and respond to soil-borne bacterial pathogens at the cellular level. My graduate training includes intensive professional development in teaching philosophies and practice in addition to membership in several future faculty programs.