I graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in English. I actively participated in many field studies and my degree largely had an ecology/conservation focus. I am currently working in the Witt Lab using next generation sequence data and microscopy to evaluate the distribution and host associations of the malaria parasite in birds. My graduate research interests are to explore the intersection between environmental/ecology work and human health. In many cases, animals can be used as a proxy to assess human health risk, especially in light of anthropogenic climate change and the resultant shifts in the distributions of pathogens and vector species. I love all things outdoors and thus hope to apply that passion to my research. In my free time I play soccer, play piano, and try to surround myself with art and artistic people.