Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, I am a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the US. 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 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. 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.

Moving forward, I hope to work at a primarily undergraduate institution with a focus on increasing the representation of Native American students in plant science and research. I hope to put a particular emphasis on the importance of overlapping Indigenous knowledge and growing practices with host resistance studies.