About Me

I come from a small town in Northern Illinois called Poplar Grove. It’s a rural farming town roughly 30 minutes east of Rockford and 2 hours west of Chicago. Up until my freshman year of high school, I attended North Boone High School (NBHS), the only high school within the North Boone Community Unit School District. It was a really small district with around 150 students per class and very limited academic resources. I really struggled at North Boone, with friends, with my identity, and with academics. I felt like I could be doing so much more, so much better if I wasn’t trapped in the tiny bubble of NBHS.

My freshman year I decided that I wanted to change that, I decided that I could and would do better. I decided to apply to Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, my dad’s high school, a residential school in Aurora Illinois known for its vast academic opportunities. At IMSA I had the ability to take classes I’d never heard of, Ancient Epics, Pathophysiology, and Victorian fiction, I took every class I could and I loved it. I loved the opportunities that I knew I wouldn’t have at North Boone. At IMSA I was able to realize and flesh out some of my biggest passions, marketing, conservation, photography, art, robotics, and writing. While it wasn’t a time without hardships or struggles, it was a great learning experience and helped me feel that I could accomplish anything I put my mind to. During my 3 years there I learned a lot about what I wanted to do, and I even met one of my closest friends. After graduating from IMSA I actually felt Proud and Accomplished, something I thought I’d never feel after North Boone. 

After graduating from IMSA I decided to continue my education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Although I had never heard of the school before I fell in love with it on my first tour. I loved how the campus was secluded and small similar to that of IMSA. I also loved how it was surrounded by nature and an official nature preserve, something that I didn’t even know a college could be. But, what really sealed the deal for me was the SIUE Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars Program. At IMSA during my junior and senior years I worked on a student research project called Junes Learning Lab, it was dedicated to teaching cultural competency and making the world better for everyone regardless of differences. When I found out about CODES and realized that SIUE had a program that was specifically dedicated to giving students that real-world experience and research opportunities I knew that it was exactly what I was hoping for. During my time at SIUE, I want to continue my research and explore what college can have to offer. 

After SIUE I hope to find a career that can combine my interests and the skills that I’ve learned throughout life. I’d love to find something that can combine sociological problem-solving, geography, art, photography, and conservation in a career while also giving me the flexibility to explore life and travel. At the moment I’m working as an intern and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center focused on communications. So far, I love the way that it gives me the ability to combine all of my interests while also giving me the freedom to still experience college life.