I am a graduate of Kennesaw State University, with a B.A. in history. In the August 2010, I am starting graduate studies at Georgia State University in Heritage Preservation (public history). I hope to always be writing through each phase of my life, in some form or fashion; this site ensures that.

Born in Upper Michigan to Yooper parents, I’ve lived in the North eleven years, and in the South for twelve; I don’t know which one I “belong” to. I’ve spent the last four+ years in the Metro Atlanta area, except for the two months spent earning an Asian Studies minor in China, in the summer of 2007.

I spent two-and-a-half years reporting and editing at the Sentinel, KSU’s student newspaper. After a year as Arts & Living editor, I became Editor in Chief, and managed the paper for two semesters (spring and fall 2008) in that role. It was a weekly, tiring, and immensely rewarding job.

Since those days at the newspaper, I have really grown to admire the field of public history, finding the challenge of coordinating historians’ hopes with the public’s needs thrilling, a chance to strive for a meeting point between the two. In the fall of 2009, I co-curated an exhibit on the Tuskegee Airmen alongside peers in the public history program at KSU (there’s a post on that). This was an amazing first step into working history, being able to turn the primary sources on aviation history and the racial and social history of the twentieth century into a traveling exhibit. I am currently working on getting into graduate school to pursue this field further, as it combines research, writing, education, public relations–all great things.

I’m a bit of an expert on Rev. Young J. Allen, a Methodist missionary who traveled to China in the nineteenth century to spread the gospel, and wound up spreading education, journalism, and literary works and translated books much more effectively. He was the subject of my senior history thesis, allowing me the experience of digging into the archives at Emory University in Atlanta.

I’ve got a penchant for odd notebooks, and collect them with best intentions, but rarely do I actually fill one. But that’s certainly not from lack of writing.

I share a respect for fine design and fashion with her mother, a lifelong custom sewing and creative design artist. With her guiding advice, I completed my first quilt in 2009 (there’s a post on that, too), and have moved on to whimsical projects like aprons, pincushions, and purses. I am also working on another quilt, for myself, filled with the richness of colors that bring India to mind: majestic purples, lush oranges and yellows, and vivid reds and pinks. Every day I work to surround myself with beautiful, inspiring creations, a goal that has contributed to my addiction to buying yards of lovely fabrics for potential projects that may or may not have been imagined yet.

I have very rudimentary skills in Chinese, but will someday be fluent. I want to visit India. I want to create, learn, research, and have an impact on people’s lives, or at least share with them some of the most amazing elements and colors of history. I want children someday.

My tortoise-shell/calico cat named Avery adds more joy to my days than regular cats are capable of. She is very cuddly and mischievous both.

Ben M. has done the design work for this site; I am so grateful for his assistance and patience.