I received my Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, where I was lured into the discipline as a potential career by the enthusiastic faculty that constitute their program. After River Falls, I attended the University of South Florida to pursue my Master of Arts in communication studies where the supportive and knowledgeable faculty validated my love for studying communication as a process that works to create people as unique individuals. 

As a doctoral student, I wish to continue developing my knowledge of the theories that drive the study of communication and culture, specifically how communication works to create conceptions of the self. My current endeavors into how communication works to shape the self involve exploring the narratives of individuals post criminal conviction. I have been taken in by the theoretical ideas of Michel Foucault, Donna Haraway, and Stephen Lyng among many others. Also, as an ethnographer, I have an affinity for the marriage of theory to the daily, lived experiences of those who embody my interests 

When I am not engaged in my scholastic activities, I am typically listening to a variety of music and making a genuine attempt to mimic my favorite bassists in the privacy of my home. I also enjoy exercising, which helps me to embrace my second love without guilt—the cooking and eating of all varieties of food. Finally, though cliché, I enjoy living and experiencing the multitude of surprises that come my way in our current age. 

Oh yeah! GO, PACK, GO!