I am originally from west Michigan – born in Grand Rapids, and grew up in Holland. As a young kid, I was outside as much as possible, despite living in urban areas with limited access to green spaces. I knew I wanted to work with wildlife somehow, and ended up at Taylor University in Upland for a bachelor’s in biology. I then came to Purdue FNR to study wildlife, specifically birds, working on my PhD with Barny Dunning. My research project focused on bird migration and habitats used during the migration period, a topic I chose to focus on the intersectionality between birds and people. Over my college and grad school careers, I also discovered a passion for teaching that has driven me to where I am today.

After I finished my PhD in FNR in spring 2020, I got connected with the Nature Conservancy in Indiana and worked on a project called Forestry for the Birds, which explored forest management tools for landowners and foresters through the lens of bird conservation. Being able to provide tools for land managers that have direct benefits for conservation was something that really excited me, and I wanted to continue doing work like that. In 2022, I started as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator in Grant County, later transferring to Cass County and adding a Community Development focus. This role, working with the general public and offering diverse programming and trainings, was a great experience. I also worked quite a bit with conservation professionals, including SWCD and NRCS staff, which were some of my favorite partnerships.

I got involved with Extension as a graduate student in the department, first through the Extension course that all graduate students take. I instantly fell in love with Extension, as a way to connect science with stakeholders and reach audiences outside of academia. That course and my time in graduate school working with FNR Extension led me to my career as a county Extension Educator, and now as the Natural Resources Training Specialist.

I love teaching and wildlife conservation – this job helps me connect both passions and equip conservation staff to do their jobs better. I also love working with the FNR Extension team!

This is a brand new position, so a challenge right now is balancing all my grand ideas with what might actually work within the scope of the job (or how many hours I’m humanly limited to). I’m excited to see how the role takes shape as I spend more time in it!

Event planning – I never thought I would enjoy spending a lot of time in the program planning logistics mode, but it’s something I’ve actually found a lot of fun and enjoyment in. It’s so rewarding seeing all the details of a program come together, from the small things like the location and snacks to the big things like speakers and instructors.

Painting, drawing, raising quail, gardening, embroidery, Legos, reading, hiking… The real question is, what hobbies haven’t I tried? My 2.5 year old daughter loves to stay busy and try new things, so I get a lot of chances to try out crafts, spend too much time building Lego train tracks and castles, or exploring our neighborhood.