Did you set a new year’s resolution or intention? If so, what was it and how’s it going so far?
My goal for 2024 is to finish my doctorate. I am pursuing an Ed.D in Higher Education Leadership and am working on my dissertation right now. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I just need to finish my last two chapters and defend to my committee. I’m on track to finish in August!

What did the scholarship allow you to do that you otherwise wouldn’t have done?
Being able to graduate from college without debt opened a lot of doors for me. Most importantly, it gave me the flexibility to pursue a completely different field. I liked being a physics major, but I liked being an RA even more, and I knew I wanted to work with students early in my college career. I learned so many valuable things at Rose-Hulman and it has become my home (literally- I live on campus as part of my role). If I didn’t have the scholarship I would not have been able to justify staying and probably would have transferred, and my life would be very different. I was able to take a risk on a new career path because of the security the scholarship provided, and I think I’m able to have a much bigger impact on my community in this role than I would have otherwise.

What are you most proud of?
When our students get to Rose-Hulman, they have big dreams. They want to be engineers, scientists, mathematicians, doctors, entrepreneurs, you name it. During their four years they will inevitably need help, and I get to work with students through a wide variety of challenges – personal, interpersonal, academic, family related, career related, etc. I feel most proud when our students work through those challenges and cross the stage at commencement with their dream job, a group of lifelong friends, and tons of fun memories from college.

What do you love about Indiana?
There are so many small towns in Indiana, including my hometown, and I think the whole state has that small community feeling. I really appreciate the Midwest hospitality I grew up with, and I always appreciate seeing communities come together to help each other out in times of need.

What’s a change you’d like to see in our state?
I believe increasing representation of women in STEM fields is important. Recent changes to Indiana law regarding women’s reproductive rights has made it more challenging to recruit women to careers in Indiana, and I would love to see changes in that area.

What’s something you’ve created recently?
A friend asked me to play a piano cover of Jump by Van Halen for her wedding reception this past summer. I had a lot of fun arranging, playing, and recording it!

Share an example of a time you stepped out of your comfort zone or did something that surprised you.
We recently took our RA staff to Nashville for a staff trip. One of my colleagues knew someone who was performing on stage at a local pub. We went to see the show, and I was asked to go on stage and play a song with them. I am used to performing on stage, but this was totally unexpected and I had no idea what song they were going to play until I got up there. It was a ton of fun, but definitely outside of my comfort zone!

What’s the last novel you read?
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd – I highly recommend it!

What used to be your biggest fear & how did you overcome it?
I used to be afraid of making mistakes, especially at work. When your job is people-focused  it can feel like every mistake you make affects someone else. I still don’t want to make mistakes, but I’ve learned over time that how you respond to mistakes is more important than how often you make them. There are also problems that don’t have a “right” answer, and sometimes all you can do is have positive intent and do the best you can.

What’s one way you’ve been able to give back to your community?
Rose-Hulman has become my community, and by extension Terre Haute. In my job I get to be hands-on with almost every facet of that community – students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community partners. I spend most of my time with students, helping them navigate their college experience outside of the classroom. That varies day to day – mentoring my student staff to become better leaders, helping students build healthy time management and study habits, supporting students through difficult personal challenges, working with campus partners to provide support for specific issues, etc. Sometimes giving back means organizing an event for several hundred people, and sometimes it means spending several months (or years) supporting one student.

If you could do anything to help your community, what would it be?
I would love to start a non-profit and raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Rose-Hulman hosts a battle of the bands event each year to raise money for JDRF, and I have become very close with the family that helps run the event. As that specific event evolves and changes over time, I would love to continue supporting the cause and getting the local community more involved.

What motivates you?
The students I work with. I feel very fortunate to have a job that doesn’t feel like work – sometimes I get to know students through weekly pickleball games, other times it’s through having very difficult conversations during a critical time in their life. Sometimes my work is emotionally heavy or time intensive, but I know I’m making a difference in someone’s life and that motivates me to work hard and do the best I can.

What has been your favorite LSN experience?
I’ve really enjoyed advising the Rose-Hulman chapter of LSN. The students are so passionate about serving their community, and they want to continue making an impact in their careers after graduation. Each of them gives back to our campus in a unique way, and we are excited to expand our involvement with LSN and find new ways to engage!

Have you ever run into a Lilly Scholar out in the wild? If so, tell us about it?
Only once – I was visiting a friend in Madison, WI and went to dinner with a big group. One of the people in the group was a Lilly Scholar from 2014 (the year after me) in northern Indiana. He studied biology, so we had a little bit of a science overlap!

What’s one community organization you’re proud to be a part of?
One of the things I’m involved in now is Reading Neighbors, a program run through United Way that pairs people with local elementary school classrooms. Once a month we read to our classes and get to know the students (right now I have second graders that ask tons of great questions!). Our student staff also helps label and organize the books for neighboring counties at the start of each school year, so it’s nice to be involved with that program from start to finish.

First posted 5/6/2024