Personal
I grew up in the then-small town of Eden Prairie, Minnesota . I participated in the incredible program UMTYMP for kids to take math. Then my family moved to Fullerton, California, where I went to a fantastic public magnet high school. It was conveniently across the street from Cal State Fullerton, where I took math classes. I lived in Connecticut for three years to get my B.A. in math and philosophy from Yale, and spent a year abroad while I went to Paris, Vietnam, and Budapest and traipsed around Europe. I was supported by the wonderful Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship .
After Yale I went to Santa Barbara, where I got my M.A. in 2012 before moving to Chicago for grad school at UIC. In 2014 I had a baby, and we moved to Austin, TX in 2015 and bought a minivan. In 2017 I had another baby, defended my Ph.D., and moved to Charlotte, NC where spouse works at a local company. In 2020 I had my last baby at the beginning of a pandemic.
In 2018 I received the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship , which places math and science Ph.D.s and candidates into newsrooms across the country. I wrote 25 stories for the Raleigh News & Observer. I then got a job with North Carolina Health News , where I covered all things health care related in Charlotte. I now freelance for various science and math clients, and
My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I care about creating welcoming environments, mentorship, and helping people achieve their goals. I'm very available for advice, mentoring, thoughts; feel free to email me if you are a young (or not) person considering mathademia--I love talking to people about graduate school! See the speaking tab to book me as a speaker.
My interests that are not yet listed: triathlons, acrylic painting, cute animal pictures, food tourism, Vietnamese culture, board games, puzzle hunts, yoga, science fair judging, intersectional feminism, naps.
