My Background & Interests
A closer look at my background, experiences, and the path that’s shaped how I approach my work. This includes my academic foundation, research projects, and hands-on experiences working with communities, as well as the values that guide how I learn, adapt, and contribute.
About Me
If there’s one thing I try to be, it’s consistent. I aim to be someone people can rely on — doing things the right way, following through, and always looking for ways to improve.
I’m drawn to environments where I’m learning continuously, especially when I’m around people who challenge me to think differently. I enjoy having something to figure out — whether that’s working through patterns in data or navigating real-world problems in the field.
My strengths sit at the intersection of analytical and people-focused work. I’m comfortable working with data, identifying patterns, and interpreting results, but I’m just as engaged when working directly with people and understanding their experiences in a practical, human context.
At the core of my work is a simple goal: to contribute in a way that is thoughtful, reliable, and genuinely useful to the people it’s meant to serve.
Background
I studied Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, with a concentration in Environmental Sciences, graduating in three years. During that time, I was selected for the Public Health Honors Practicum, where I worked on multiple research projects and presented findings in both academic and stakeholder settings.
What I valued most from that experience wasn’t just the technical side of research, but understanding how it connects to real-world decisions. I worked with both qualitative and quantitative methods, with a focus on interpreting results and communicating them clearly and accurately to different audiences.
That foundation continues to shape how I approach my work — balancing analytical thinking with an emphasis on real-world impact.
Experience
My experience combines research, fieldwork, and direct community engagement, with a focus on producing work that is both meaningful and practical.
I’ve worked with underserved populations through homelessness outreach, resource distribution, and structured data collection, including participation in San Diego’s Point-in-Time Count and trauma-informed interviewing projects. These roles required adaptability, strong communication, and a high level of responsibility, particularly when working in sensitive or complex environments.
In addition, I’ve contributed to research on housing interventions, food insecurity, and financial literacy, translating complex data into insights that can inform decisions and improve programs. This work strengthened both my analytical skills and my ability to communicate findings clearly, ethically, and in ways that are useful to stakeholders.
Teaching & Leadership
I’ve consistently taken on roles that involve teaching, mentorship, and supporting others in their learning.
During college, I served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for a biostatistics course, assisting with grading, leading tutoring sessions, supporting exam preparation, and contributing to hybrid lectures. This experience strengthened my ability to explain complex concepts clearly and adapt to different learning styles.
More recently, I spent three months teaching and mentoring at Hope School for Girls and Boys in Arusha, Tanzania. During that time, I taught English, supported music instruction, helped implement the Global StoryBridges program, and worked with teachers to build basic technology skills. I also contributed to broader school activities related to student wellbeing.
This experience reinforced my ability to take initiative, step into leadership roles in unfamiliar environments, and ensure that learning is both accessible and meaningful.
Research & Projects
My work in research has focused on understanding real-world problems and translating data into insights that can inform decisions and improve outcomes.
Through the Public Health Honors Practicum at UC San Diego, I contributed to multiple projects examining housing interventions, food insecurity, and financial literacy, often in collaboration with community partners and institutional stakeholders.
Across these projects, I was involved in survey design, data collection, qualitative coding, and quantitative analysis, including bivariate analysis and trend interpretation. I worked with tools such as Qualtrics, Excel, and Epi Info to organize and analyze data, and contributed to presentations delivered to stakeholders ranging from university leadership to community organizations.
One project evaluated a housing intervention for individuals transitioning out of homelessness, contributing demographic analysis to a broader report assessing impacts on health, wellbeing, and housing stability. Another used photovoice methodology to explore how college students make food decisions, combining qualitative insights with behavioral patterns to better understand food insecurity. I also worked on a large-scale financial literacy study, analyzing survey data from hundreds of students to identify key trends and inform potential campus-wide programming.
Through this work, I’ve developed a strong foundation in working with data responsibly, identifying meaningful patterns, and communicating findings in a way that is both clear and actionable. More importantly, it has reinforced my interest in work that sits at the intersection of data, people, and decision-making.
Beyond Work
Outside of academics and research, I try to spend as much time as I can doing things that keep me grounded and curious. I’ve always enjoyed being outside — whether hiking, camping, or backpacking, I’ll take any excuse to get out in nature. Some of my favorite trips have been the Tour du Mont Blanc and the Timberline Trail, but honestly, it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I’m out there.
I also grew up on the water. Some of my earliest memories are fishing with my dad, brother, and grandpa along the Oregon coast, where most of our time was spent out on the boat. I’m always looking forward to the next chance I get to surf. I’m not particularly good — I end up in the washing machine more often than not — but it’s something I’ve come to really enjoy over the past few years.
A lot of my time is also spent on quieter hobbies. I read regularly and am usually in the middle of a book, and I’ve been trying to learn guitar when I can.
More than anything, I enjoy putting myself in unfamiliar situations and figuring things out as I go — something that carries over into how I approach new challenges in my work.
