Q: What's the most meaningful or satisfying aspect of your work at SoK?

A: The most meaningful aspect of my job is knowing that the work I do helps support research and education.

Q: What's your favorite thing about the School of Kinesiology and why?

A: Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and the building is beautiful!

Q: Which states and/or countries have you lived in? Which was your favorite, and why?

A: I was born and raised in Michigan, but I have also lived in South Dakota (Vermillion and Keystone) and Austin, Texas. In addition, I spent two years serving as a V.I.S.T.A. (Volunteers in Service to America/AmeriCorps) volunteer in the coastal, rural northern neck of Virginia. I don't really have a favorite as I have very fond memories of each place

Q: Who are the special people in your life?

A: My husband of 12 years, my four siblings and their spouses, my 91-year-old dad, and my aunt Kathy. And my cat, Theo. Do cats count? [Answer from the editor: They definitely count.]

Q: What's one fun or surprising thing about you?

A: I've hiked to the top of Mount Rushmore National Memorial twice in the company of National Park Service rangers. Both times I was working at the memorial for the summer during college. Those summers were so much fun and I made some lifelong friends. I've also hiked to the top of Crazy Hourse Mountain in Custer, South Dakota.

Q: If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would it be and why?

A: My mom used to say: "I'll go anywhere, any time, with anyone" and that pretty much applies to me, too. I'd especially like to visit New Zealand and Australia. 

Q: What's one thing you'd like to brag about (personally or professionally)?

A: I've had photos published in a book (Capture Dakota: The Dakotas Through the Eyes of Dakota Photographers); a newspaper (the Rapid City Journal); and the Law Quadrangle, a publication of the University of Michigan Law School. Also, one of my short stories was published in Griot, another publication of the U-M Law School. The story was inspired by a painting I once saw at a museum in Columbia, South Carolina; it still haunts me.