Career Summary Prior to Doctoral Program: I completed my Bachelors of Art in Political Science at The Colorado College in 2007. In 2005, I spent a semester at American University in Washington, D.C. where I earned a Certificate in Foreign Policy, graduating in the top 5 percent of my class. In 2008, I earned a Certificate in Grant Writing from the Indiana University School of Philanthropy before beginning a Masters in Public Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine. In the Fall of 2009, I transferred from the IUSOM to the Department of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University – Bloomington.
Professionally, I have explored several career paths, including entrepreneurship, academia, nonprofit, and government opportunities. During my undergraduate career, I served as Assistant to the Office Manager in the Department of Political Science at The Colorado College. Additionally, I served as Senior Research Assistant to Dr. Andrew Price-Smith. During my time at American University, I interned for the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training within the Department of State and Foreign Services Institute. Between my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I founded and directed Lifetime Wellness, an American College of Sports Medicine Certified in-home personal training service. I also served as Director of Development for Strides to Success, an equine-assisted learning facility in Plainfield, Indiana. While at Strides to Success, I researched, developed, secured funding for, piloted, and evaluated a program focused on serving children with autism and their families. During my first year at the IUSOM, I served as Research Assistant to the Senior Epidemiologist of the Bowen Research Center housed in the Department of Family Medicine. Once enrolled at IU-Bloomington, I served as Graduate Assistant for Professor Trent Applegate. In addition, I served as Graduate Fellow and Mentor for the Indiana University Student Foreign Policy Initiative. In the final summer of my MPH program, I served as an administrative intern for the St. Francis Neighborhood Health Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Currently, I am the Assistant Director of Huntington Learning Center on the East Side of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to my academic and professional pursuits, I have volunteered on medical trips with both the Mercy Foundation and Timmy Foundation. I have also been involved in continuing education opportunities with the American Public Health Association, the American Political Science Association, the American Association for University Women, and the National Congress of American Indians.
My research and praxis interests span the fields of Political Science and Public Health. I have a broad interest in the subject of violence, including the prevention and study of collective violence, domestic violence, insurgency, political violence, and structural violence. During my MPH program, I chose to focus on the issue of child soldiering.
EDUCATION
University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Ph.D. in Political
Science
Currently Enrolled
Areas of Concentration: Qualitative Research Methods,
International Relations, African Foreign Policy, War/Conflict, Military
Strategy, Global Health Governance
Indiana University,
Bloomington, IN
Masters in Public
Health
2011
Areas of Concentration: Global Health Governance,
Qualitative Research Methods
The Colorado College,
Colorado Springs, CO
B.A. in Political
Science
2007
Areas of Concentration: International Relations of African
Nations, Political Theory
American University,
Washington, DC
Certificate in
Foreign Policy
2005
Areas of Concentration: African Foreign Policy,
War/Conflict, Military Strategy
OTHER CERTIFICATIONS
Indiana University, School of Philanthropy, IN
Certificate in Grant Proposal Writing
2008
Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, Lubbock, TX
Level One Instructor Certification
2008
American College of Sports Medicine
Certified Personal Trainer
2007
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Graduate Assistant
2011-2012
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Teaching Assistant
2011-2012
Huntington Learning Center, Albuquerque, NM
Tutor – SAT/ACT Exam Prep, History, Government, Language
Arts, Writing Composition
2010-2011
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Graduate Fellow – “Student Foreign Policy Initiative”
2009-2010
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Graduate Assistant
2009-2010
Strides to Success, Plainfield, IN
Instructor
2004 – 2009
