I made the long drive from Indiana to Tucson to pursue a Ph.D. in American Indian Studies.  I graduated with my Masters in Sociology from the University of Louisville in 2009 where I focused on factors affecting community integration and social capital on Native American reservations.  I took a few years off to teach overseas in Korea as well as a Fulbright grant to teach in Mongolia.  I am extremely happy to be in Tucson and pursue my doctorate in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona.

Originally from Potomac, Maryland, I graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  While at UNC, I double majored in American Indian Studies and History and I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with scholars such as Theda Perdue, Daniel Cobb, and Valerie Lambert.

Now working on my Master's Degree at the University of Arizona, I am exploring Indigenous Law and Governance.  Specifically, I plan to focus my research on the Kingdom of Hawai'i and the creation of its first written Constitution in 1840.