My time on small farms as a teenager inspired a focus on improving animal agriculture. I completed a GED and three years of coursework at CNM before transferring to UNM. I worked at the Museum of Southwestern Biology with Dr. Joseph Cook and Mariel Campbell (in the Mammal and Parasite divisions, respectively) for my last undergraduate year. 

In 2017, I received a B.S. in Biology with a minor in chemistry. In Dr. Eric S. Loker's lab, I will be helping to optimize methods for trematode detection and exploring trematode diversity, with implications for human and cattle health across Africa and South America. For the MSB Mammal division, I will be continuing to assist with wildlife surveys around New Mexico.