About me

I grew up in Seattle, Washington, and I am the eldest of four children. As a young person, all things creative--writing, performance, and dance--were most important to me. Helping to raise and take care of my siblings also profoundly shaped the person who I am today.

I received my BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Lewis and Clark College, and then worked as the Director of the Social Work Department at an eye/tissue/organ donation industry for five years following college. In this position, I trained new employees how to interact with and obtain medical/social interviews from grieving families, always ensuring a high level of compassion and empathy. While I loved the helping component of this career, it was also during this time that I realized I was not truly following my vocational aspirations--the hours made it impossible to pursue my creative passions. I applied to MFA programs in Creative Writing, and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on a full four-year fellowship.

In Tuscaloosa, I became an Instructor of Composition and Rhetoric, Literature, and Creative Writing at the college level, and also worked as a Teacher at numerous K-12 schools in rural areas that lacked funding for the arts.

At the end of my time in Alabama, I again realized I had not yet fulfilled my educational goals: I thus applied to Master of Divinity programs in the Northeast, and moved to NYC on a second full fellowship. For the last four years, I have been at Columbia University's seminary (Union Theological Seminary). I have simultaneously worked as a Teacher and Chaplain at an all-girls school that serves at-risk youth: last year, I taught World Religions and Sexual Education to middle-schoolers, and this year I have been the Creative Writing and Performance Teacher to the lower school students.

Now that I am finished with graduate school, I am interested in finding a long-term, permanent childcare position that will both enrich and supplement my freelance work as a creative professional and writer. I believe all children are already artists, and they inspire me just as much I feel I have the capacity to inspire them and provide them with sustained emotional presence.