About Me
Like most people my age, I am 28.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in the 90s, so feel free to apply all the memes and stereotypes you can think of. Snap bracelets? I rocked ’em. Squeaky internet noise? I weirdly miss it. Neopets? Username “Integritygurl.” I also had about four windbreakers over the course of my childhood and my hero was Kim Possible.
After mastering Jump Start 1st-8th Grade, I muddled my way through high school taking every English Language and Literature class I could fit into my schedule, joining as few clubs as my college applications would allow, getting dumped by my first love and dumping a handful of others, and generally striving for Mediocre At Best. The concept of failure was terrifying, and success is much easier when your standards are low.
Favorite Food:
Pepperoni Pizza
Favorite Book Series:
Harry Potter
Favorite Album/Song:
Josh Groban’s Awake/ “Machine”
Favorite Movie:
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Favorite Television Series:
Avatar: The Last Airbender
I attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids. If you’re wondering right now, “Where have I heard of that?” I can make that easier for you: Betsy DeVos also went there. A bad omen, I know, and the connection is lamentable for many reasons, but I was nevertheless happy with my undergraduate experience. I graduated in 2013 after five years and earned a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education, English, and History. I think of my college years as what my high school years could have been if I had been more self-aware and less hormone-y. My focus was still on English language and literature classes (obviously) but I also immersed myself in the Liberal Arts education Calvin College afforded me, and I learned life lessons I still find invaluable.
Favorite Food:
Chicken Tikka Masala
Favorite Book Series:
Hunger Games
Favorite Album/Song:
Ingrid Michaelson’s Everybody/ “The Chain”
Favorite Movie:
Star Trek 2009
Favorite Television Series:
Arrested Development
Immediately after graduation, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to seek my fortune as a teacher. I lost my momentum in the re-certification process and found myself working as a tutor and after-school instructor at the Shadyside Boys and Girls Club. Thank God for that place. The staff, the schedule, and the children all showed me that whatever I was looking for in teaching was not what I really wanted for a career. After two years there, I decided to go back to school.
Favorite Food:
Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
Favorite Book Series:
Harry Potter
Favorite Album/Song:
Guster’s Keep it Together/ “Careful”
Favorite Movie:
Star Trek 2009
Favorite Television Series:
Arrested Development
I attended University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work and graduated in 2017 with an MSW and a specialization in children and youth. Through my school and my experiences with youth in the Pittsburgh area, I developed a passion for serving people with histories of childhood trauma. I also became more politically informed and active, just in time to be broadsided by the 2016 election.
During this time, I continued to work at the Boys and Girls Club, I had an internship at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, and I became a subcontracted Adoption and Permanency Specialist at JFCS Pittsburgh. That last agency eventually hired me on full-time after I graduated, I worked there for almost exactly 2 years before I had to resign in order to move with my husband to Dallas Texas.
Favorite Food:
Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite Book Series:
Imperial Radch
Favorite Album/Song:
Kesha’s Rainbow/ “Praying”
Favorite Movie:
Talulah
Favorite Television Series:
Parks and Recreation
That brings us to today, basically. I know there is so much more to me than what I’ve summarized here, but that is the point of summaries after all. All of this self-disclosure feels very silly, but also strangely necessary. In a few months, I’ll be looking for a new job and new friends in a new city. Since I’m going to have an internet presence regardless of whether I curate it, I should probably at least attempt to exert control over what others find out about me, and how.
