I earned my PhD in English from Kent State University in 2013 and was an instructor of freshman- and sophomore-level writing composition courses from 2007-2020, up until the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. In early-2021, I began working as an executive assistant to the Summit County Clerk of Courts, and moved to the Summit County ADM Board a year later as a Communications Specialist. During this time, I completed the work necessary to earn my Alternative Resident Educator license in k-12 English Language Arts, and I shifted my focus to returning to the classroom, beginning with serving as a building substitute at Richardson Elementary School in Cuyahoga Falls. I have since earned additional eligibility in social studies and special education.Prior to pursuing advanced study in English, I worked in restaurants and as a freelance writer of entertainment features and reviews, as well as a contract copywriter, tutor, and more. I even spent two summers working for a Mexican bakery to make extra money and immerse myself in the Spanish language. In 2017, I started to become very involved in my community, establishing the Falls Free Press, a city-wide free press for which I served as both reporter and senior editor. In 2020, the Falls Free Press began a weekly roundtable podcast—Fallscast—that includes an interview segment, completing nearly 30 episodes by that December. I served as the moderator and producer, and I composed the theme music. Meanwhile, in 2019, I applied for and was appointed to a seat on the city parks board as the school board’s appointee. I also became part of a city program started by my city's mayor that supported my having founded a yearly basketball tournament that brings people from different walks of life together in the name of community, fitness, and competition. In late-2020, I was appointed to a seat on the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education, which I held until the end of 2021.