Bio

I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois and received my undergraduate education from Rock Valley Community College (2010–2012) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012–2015; B.A., Psychology with Honors). I completed an undergraduate honors thesis at UW-Madison advised by Dr. Kristin Shutts examining children’s attention to nonverbal social power cues. I also worked as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Michael Koenigs and the Mind Research Network, where I conducted clinical research with incarcerated men. In 2015 I began working as a lab manager for Dr. Kristin Shutts, collaborating also with Drs. Jenny Saffran (studying infants’ social word learning), Chuck Kalish (studying the relation between children’s social skills and academic achievement), and Trish Devine (studying social bias interventions). I joined Cornell University as a social psychology PhD student in 2018, working with Dr. Katie Kinzler and Dr. Melissa Ferguson. I earned my master’s degree in psychology from Cornell in August 2020. The Kinzler lab moved from Cornell University to the University of Chicago in 2020, at which time I began the PhD program in psychology at the University of Chicago. I earned my master’s degree in psychology from the University of Chicago in 2022, and I am now a PhD candidate; I expect to complete my PhD in 2026.

Aside from my academic pursuits, I pursue various artistic endeavors including drawing, painting, poetry, 35mm photography, and knitting. I also enjoy playing board games, such as Twilight Imperium, and relaxing in nature — Chicago parks and beaches are incredible!