My Story

Growing up alongside the Indiana Dunes lakeshore - one of the most biodiverse and spots in the U.S. - primed me to investigate natural diversity. In college, I carved out research projects to study the dynamics of lichen communities on trees and the "microbial warfare" that happens in your mouth during gingivitis. These projects got me excited about microbiome research, so I moved to Madison, WI for grad school in microbiology. In addition to lots of science outreach, I ran experiments to tap into microbial competition for antibiotic discovery at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Automating high-throughput experiments produced tons of data, and I realized the value of using smarter analytical methods.

That realization prompted me to study analytics at U. Chicago. In Chicago, I worked with the UC hospitals to use electronic health records to predict patient costs, among other data modeling projects. This motivated a transition for me toward taking a data-driven approach to answering outcome-driven questions. So I returned to Wisconsin to finish my M.S., focusing on time series of genomic data. I graduate in December and plan to work in data science consulting.

Meanwhile, [I volunteered] for causes abroad, volunteering at a school for the disabled in India and boxing to raise funds for school in Uganda, as well as at home, as staffmember for a house for the homeless in Notre Dame's home of South Bend, Indiana, an organizer for the Ford Family Human Development Conference.

Madison,  a friend introduced me to a conscious communication practice group that introduced me to some tools for empathy. WiA (I designed the logo!) & Graduate Women in Science to serve women professionally