I attended college at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. My first summer there, I joined the Office of New Student Programs, becoming an Orientation Leader and greeting incoming students to the University. For the following three years, I worked for Housing and Residence Life, first as a Resident Advisor, then as a Senior Resident. My second summer in Charlottesville I spent as a member of the Meriwether Lewis Institute for Citizen Leadership. In my third year at Virginia, I also worked in customer service at the Student Activity Center while serving as a Resident Advisor. In 2019, I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Politics, with a concentration in American Government.

Beyond Charlottesville, I was an intern at VOX Global in Washington, D.C. for the summer between my third and fourth years. I worked in their Public Affairs department, focusing on education research and Corporate Social Responsibility for company clients. After graduation, I took a brief course at my local community college called Intro to Paralegal Studies. This helped prepare me for my next two years of work in Detroit, Michigan.

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) brought me to Detroit, where I worked as a paralegal at the United Community Housing Coalition. When my service term expired, I stayed on as a full-time employee. Throughout my time, I worked with low-income tenants in Detroit to help them secure housing, and worked alongside staff attorneys who represented them in Landlord-Tenant court. I helped run a Housing Clinic through the local district court, instructing volunteer law students on how to properly conduct intake. During COVID-19 pandemic, I focused my efforts on virtual intake and overhauling legal data entry as the organization increased in size and tenant demand.

Meanwhile in JVC, I spearheaded a volunteer-led racial justice committee alongside five other volunteers from my cohort. The committee led several nationwide dialogue sessions for current volunteers in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and hosted the inaugural professional development seminar on racial justice for JVC Staff. Our work culminated in my publishing an Open Letter to the JVC Board of Directors, co-signed by hundreds of then-current and former volunteers. As a result, JVC initiated a strategic plan to become an anti-racist organization.

In August 2021, I left Detroit to begin my graduate studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I studied Modern U.S. History, with a focus on education and race in the twentieth century. Outside of class, I worked as a Research Assistant for several History Department professors, and as the Community Engagement Coordinator for Bublr Bikes, Milwaukee’s local bikeshare nonprofit. However, after being diagnosed with a chronic illness and undergoing surgery my second term in school, I elected to medically withdrawal during the following semester of Fall 2022. I returned home to work remotely as the seasonal Grant Manager for Bless Thy Skin, a Black woman owned small business focusing on natural and organic skincare. I also launched, and currently run, a small business myself (and you can read more about that here)!

Since recovering, I’ve taken on volunteer roles that edify me personally and enrich me professionally. In March, I was elected to join the Board of Directors of Our Community Place, a non-profit serving homeless and housing insecure guests, as well as those affected by adverse life experiences. Shortly thereafter, I was selected to become a Resource Specialist for Trans Advocacy & Care Team, an organization of trans folks and allies dedicated to the welfare of trans communities.

Finally, this summer, I switched employment fields again to start my transition into office life. I began working for the Episcopal Church of the Ascension as their Parish Administrator, and was hired as the Special Projects Paralegal for Larsen Carnes, PC, a civil litigation law firm.