Professional

I am currently an advisor and coordinator for the Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Washington. You can browse my most-recent endeavors on my curriculum vitae. Graduating from Buena Vista University with my bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, and communication studies, I have continued a dedication to working in research and higher education. As I’ve entered the professional world, I’ve successfully, and continue to, apply education, learning, and training across both research administration and methodology. In addition, I successfully lead marketing and strategic communication efforts across mediums– from outreach to social media, web and print.

Organizationally, I find value in institutions that find balance in pursuing both academic excellence as well as creative expression– in whatever form they may take. With such, I have goals in continuing to support research in higher education and hope to continue my education, and make major contributions to learning settings.

Research

For five years I participated in an R15 grant led by Dr. Amy E. Barth. During this time I participated in various roles, from field data collection and data organization, to research lab management, figure development, paper writing and publication, and grant support. The grant, which continues as an 2R15 grant, brings attention to learning (reading) disabilities of children of middle-grade ages (where foundational comprehension solidifies) and students who use English as a second language or are deemed English Language Learners. The focus of the research has been on literacy development through inference-making, paying special attention to knowledge attainment, retention, and recall, in rural school systems.

More broadly, my interests span not only reading and literacy, but resultantly, the learning and communication methodologies utilized in educational settings to promote learning and knowledge attainment, retention, and recall. I am hopeful to continue learning across the globe, and bring back my knowledge, skills, abilities, and talents to my rural communities which raised me.

P.S. I have also performed marketing research in higher education, evaluating social media trends among teens and young adults pursuing college/university.

Personal

I was born in Iowa, moved to Ohio, and found myself returning to Iowa throughout my younger years. I was one of five children growing up– something people never really know about me and are often shocked to hear. Growing up the middle child, I had a huge focus on education and academic success. I believed, and believe, that knowledge is power, scientia potentia est, and worked hard in school to be the first in my family to pursue and complete their bachelor’s degree. In doing so, I found myself to be introverted. I stuck to what I knew, which was at the time accounting/business and running. With this, I also enjoyed time alone; time to think about the world we live in and found a fondness for the quietness nature offers. But, business, running, and nature are not my only interests. Moving to Washington state, I love exploring nature through both trail-running and hiking. Being the middle child, I’ve been riddled with a great struggle of anxiety, and find that not only the above support me, but art, reading, drawing, and exploring web design and graphic design alleviate those feelings. My hobbies are seemingly never-ending so long that they (1) teach me something new, (2) reduce my feelings of anxiety, and (3) allow me to step away and accept the imperfections that result from learning. 

Service

In-service to education, the pursuits of learning and knowledge, I dedicate myself to service in a couple of ways. I volunteer for Creighton University’s Community Online International Learning (COIL) program, where during the fall or spring I spend about a month meeting virtually with teachers-in-training from Nagaland, India. Their goal: become English teachers. Mine? To enjoy meaningful conversations with them to practice. In addition, with my interest in serving the future researchers that will develop new knowledge, I sit on the Social Science Division, as a member, for the Council on Undergraduate Research. Having the opportunity to collaborate with social scientists around the United States in developing material and programming to support undergraduate research in the social sciences. And finally, I embrace my support for academic excellence by serving on countless scholarship and award committees for national awards like the Goldwater and Fulbright, as well as institutional, like Honors, the Martin Family, and Mary Gates Research scholarships.