Background

I am a bit of a nomad. I have never lived in the same home for more than 5 years (maybe this PhD will change that?) and love moving around.

I was born in Dallas, Texas, and consider that to be my “home base.” But I grew up spending half of my life in Asia - living in Hong Kong and Singapore. I went to college in Washington D.C. and had the opportunity to spend 6 months studying in Scotland and 3 months working in Kenya. After graduating, I moved to India to work in the development sector for 3 years.

I am truly thankful for the opportunities I have had moving around, which has sparked my love for travel, adventure, and learning about the world!

Hobbies & Loves

Debate

In high school, I was very involved in debate. I competed nationally in Lincoln-Douglas debate and had the privilege of representing the United States as a member of USA Debate, where I competed for the World Championship in Thailand (WSDC 2014) and Singapore (WSDC 2015). I truly believe in the transformative power of speech and debate and encourage young people to participate. As an alumni, I love supporting my former teams from afar! I occassionally judget at tournaments and you can find my judge paradigm and record here.

Ulitmate Frisbee

In college, I picked up playing Ultimate Frisbee and competed as a part of the Georgetown Biddies. In India, I joined Stray Dogs in Sweaters and competed in the National Championship Series (I was spirit captain in my third year). What an amazing sport! It has always been my way of making new friends, exercising, and competing. I currently play on a community pick-up team in Davis.

Travel

I love to travel. Anywhere and everywhere. I am always happy to share recommendations and love to hear from others about where they are from/where they have been. Please share your adventures with me - I welcome any recommendations!

Scuba Diving

In another life, I would have loved to be a marine biologist. The ocean is truly magical. I only began diving right after high school, but try to dive whenever I go to a tropical destination.

Grilling

I am a proud alumni of the Georgetown University Grilling Society, where I was honored to be a grillmaster. Yes, I went to college and learned how to flip burgers. But I made such lovely friends, learned how to grill, and served the Georgetown community with scrumptious food! I now love to grill whenever I can (and wherever I have access to a grill).

Odissi Dance

When I was younger, I learned a classical Indian dance called Odissi. I picked it up again when I moved to India and enjoyed the exercise and new pieces I learned. I hope to pick it up again if I find a studio/instructor!