About me
My academic and professional training is as a research scientist, following a dream I've held since childhood. Therefore, for me, justice-centered sustainability starts with recognizing that Western science and mainstream environmentalism operate within, and often uphold, systems of oppression. Sustainability movements have historically deepened inequality rather than addressed (or, even less so, resolved it), unevenly distributing the burdens of climate change onto the communities least responsible for causing it, or worse, onto the communities that have stewarded and protected ecosystems for millenia. Justice-centered work requires actively centering that reality, which is why I am extremely passionate about the Campus Sustainability Fund’s (CSF) mission and excited to be a part of realizing it.
I research how intensifying wildfire regimes and plant invasions alter soil microbial communities, and how these changes, in turn, impact native plant establishment. Ultimately, this work is about informing land management, therefore, collaboration and relationship-building are fundamental to how I approach it: land managers' concerns and priorities shape my research questions, objectives, and deliverables. I am eager to contribute to the CSF's incredible work in cultivating relationship and connection.
Outside of my research, I am extensively involved in educational outreach. Every summer I also spend tons of time in different forests around Washington, mostly for work, sometimes for fun. In my free time, I love dancing, running, walking, painting, camping, listening to live music, and baking!