During my time at the University of Iowa, I wrote two undegraduate theses (one in Art History and one in History) on the rhetoric of ethnographic displays in museums. As an employee at the Museum of Natural History on campus, I often walked by the Native American dioramic scenes with skepticism. I began to wonder about the ethics surrounding this form of cultural display, and the various histories associated with it.

Therefore, I decided to invesitage three dioramas on display at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History: "Pike’s Peak", "the Paleo-Indian," and "the Meskwaki in 1845." I delved into the history of cultural displays and wax works in the United States, and analyzed similar artistic forms, such as panoramas.

Through writing my two theses on ethnographic displays, I discovered my own unique voice and process to writing and researching. I realized that, going forward, it was important for me to create work that was interdisciplinary and decolonial. I also discovered the gap between academia and public displays, prompting me to consider graduate work in the Public History field, a field that would offer ways to bridge the gaps and help historians create tangible change.

My adivsor, Dr. Jacki Rand, informed me of a new Heritage Studies and Public History Master's program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Although I was lucky to obtain several offers for my graduate studies, I ulitmately decided to attend this new program, as it allowed me the flexibility to pursue more radical history methodologies!