About Me

My hometown is a small suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, known for its historic mineral springs and a name that looks confusing to pronounce: Fuquay-Varina (“FEW-kway və-REE-nə“). Growing up in Fuquay, my favorite ways to explore the outdoors were hiking, camping, and skiing with friends and family in the Appalachian Mountains. Many such trips to the mountains sparked my interest in geology as a kid, and I found great enthusiasm studying earth sciences in high school, and later at university.

While working on my senior honors thesis at UNC and learning how to map at Geology Field Camp in Scotland, I fell in love with fieldwork. Although the 2020 pandemic prevented me from joining the research cruise that gathered samples for my master’s research, I had other fieldwork opportunities in geophysical surveying for the U.S. Geological Survey and geological mapping for the Wyoming State Geological Survey. Through these experiences, I discovered a hobby for exploring and discovering the geology under my feet, wherever I travel!