Q: Out of everything you're working on right now, what are you most excited about and why?
A: Tough to choose! I'm working on using data to create more curated versions of external newsletters, brainstorming for storytelling around our upcoming fundraising campaign, and conducting interviews for what I hope will be a pretty major narrative that will run in next year's issue of Movement magazine. So I'm pretty excited about all of that.

Q: What's the most meaningful or satisfying aspect of your work?
A: Tie between getting to tell people's stories in ways that make them feel seen and valued and coming up with creative formats that help readers get excited about information.

Q: How do you balance your time between the demands of your work and personal life?
A: I used to be a journalist, and the pressures and demands were always really high. Being in a job with a more understanding supervisor and the ability to take more time to work on significant projects is a huge help in and of itself. That leaves me more refreshed to enjoy the things I love to do outside of work, like cook/bake, travel to see friends, play/watch tennis, and spend time in nature.

Q: What's your favorite thing about our school and why?
A: Tie again? I'm consistently bowled over by our students, who are such an eloquent, thoughtful, and strategic group. But talking to faculty who are working on interdisciplinary, solutions-oriented work also gives me a lot of energy. Ultimately, I love the essence of kinesiology and the people that attracts.

Q: Which states and/or countries have you lived in? Which was your favorite, and why?
A: Only one country, but within the U.S., in addition to Michigan, I've lived in Maryland, California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. I don't think I can pick one as my favorite; each one has its charms (and drawbacks). The people in the D.C. area, where I lived, are so intelligent, and they have a really global worldview that I appreciate. And I love the ecological and cultural diversity of California, the mountains and the laidback attitude of Colorado, and the utterly underrated food scene and quirky character of Philadelphia within PA in particular.

Q: Who are the special people in your life?
A: My boyfriend, Ryan; my cat, Charlie; and a bunch of friends scattered around the country who make me feel like I'm home whenever I'm with them.

Q: What's one fun or surprising thing about you?
A: During the early stages of the pandemic, my boyfriend and I spent a lot of time at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens when we needed a change of scenery. Now we try to visit a botanic garden wherever we travel. My favorites have been in Stockholm, which had this wild, unplanned vibe; in Palm Springs, which was full of funky cactuses; and the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, which has this incredible fern room that's supposed to evoke a similar environment to prehistoric times.

Q: If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would it be and why?
A: I'm a big tennis fan, and my goal is to get to all four of the biggest tournaments. The only one remaining is the Australian Open in Melbourne, so that's high up on the list. My real dream, though, is to take a month and hop between the clay court tournaments that take place in April and May in Europe — Estoril in Portugal, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome — and explore the cities when I'm not watching tennis.

Q: What's one thing you'd like to brag about (personally or professionally)?
A: I'm an excellent parallel parker.