My Linguistics journey thus far.

I have a passion for understanding language structure, with special interest in generative syntax and Athabaskan languages. 

I began my journey in Linguistics at the University of Utah while also obtaining a TESOL certificate. I taught English in Taiwan to Mandarin-speakers and in Salt Lake city to a range of students; but primarily Spanish-speakers and Portuguese-speakers. 

I was fortunate enough to have been accepted into MIT’s Indigenous Languages Initiative (MITILI) graduate program. Under the guidance of Norvin Richards and Adam Albright , I developed a deeper understanding of the various theories surrounding phrase structure and which of those concern Diné Bizaad. Independently, I was able to study Athabaskan linguistic works written by Eloise Jelinek, Keren Rice, Joyce McDonough, Margaret Speas, Paul Platero, and Ken Hale.


Current Interests include exploring wh- movement characteristics in Navajo, the details concerning the "negation frame" in Navajo syntactic structures, and Navajo question marker differences.

Work experience


July 2022  - Present

BASIS Chandler

Linguistics teacher (Middle School)


June 2021 - November 2021

Navajo Language Academy

Linguist


January 2018 - August 2020

Lumos Language School

English Teacher  (ESL)

Education


2020  - 2022

M.S. Linguistics - Massachusetts Institute of Technology


2011  - 2015

B.A. Linguistics - University of Utah