BIO

​​Children have always been a passion of mine, even since a young age. Upon transferring from JCJC to USM I changed my major from a focus on Kinesiology to Elementary Education. My interests evolved from working with pediatric patients to working with children in a formal classroom setting. From my diverse experiences working with young children in variety of educational contexts, I continued to develop my love for working with children. . I am currently an Education Intern at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Downtown Laurel, MS. Here, I work hand-in-hand with the Outreach Coordinator and Curator of Education to bring art into various classrooms and other settings throughout the community. This experience has not only given me the opportunity to share my passion of creativity with others but also has impacted my professional development as a future educator. 

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WHY

​RESEARCH? 

​As a whole, my reasons for participating in undergraduate research are quite simple. I hope to gain a better understanding of the innerworkings of the field of education as a whole, and I wish to directly impact areas of which I will soon be a part. I hope to generate new ideas relating to the field of education and make an impact on my future occupation. I hope to present research findings of such high caliber that they be accepted at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at a variety of conferences. 

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QUESTIONS

THAT KEEP ME

​ UP AT NIGHT

• What improvements can be made to the current education system of Mississippi for the benefit of the students in the classrooms? How can these improvements be implemented? 
• ​How can I directly impact my future career in the field of education through my research? 

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​RESEARCH

​OUTCOMES

• Recipient of USM's Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research (DCUR) Summer Research Grant ($5,000; 2020)
• Presented Research at the 2021 American Education Research Association (AERA) 
• Presented Research at the 2021 DCUR Undergraduate Research Symposium (Awarded 1st Place in Local/Regional Topic Category)
• Completed Undergraduate Honors Thesis (2021)
• Admitted to Graduate School (USM MEd in Curriculum & Instruction)
• Co-Authored a Peer-Reviewed Article (2021) in the journal of Professional Development in Education (Re-published as book chapter in 2023 Routledge Book)