I am a White, cisgender, temporarily able-bodied woman. The oldest of five, I am a Northern Kentucky native that proudly claims the Cincinnati region as home. I was raised in a two-parent financially stable household and attended Catholic school the entirety of my K-16 education. Both of my parents hold college degrees that they earned as part-time college students in my youth. Through them, I learned to value formal education and hard work. I am the first in my family to earn a Master's degree and will be the first to earn a Doctorate. 

Although I no longer identify as Catholic, my upbringing in the Church shaped my values. I resonate with the tenants of Catholic social justice (although how they are enacted in my life looks different than the Church prescribes). I feel compelled to be part of the change towards a more equitable and just world.  There have been limitations in my own life due to the identities I hold, and I work to reduce those limitations for others through my career and research endeavors.

My lived experiences shape my perspectives, and I navigate my research through a lens of many privileges. But I strive to leverage those privileges towards creating and enabling conditions of equity and belonging.