My varied job and volunteer experiences have taught me invaluable skills in interpreting and preserving the past for future generations. Interest in history research, collection and education started by working with Dr. Alta Schrock, inductee into the Maryland Women's Hall fo Fame. Working at Meyersdale Public Library, I served the public as archivist in the genealogy room, cataloging, conducting research, and giving workshops to the local community. After graduate school at George Washington University, my degree opened new doors and a more wholistic way of thinking about ordinary objects and collections. My experiences at the Paul-Belmont House and Smithsonian Institution prepared me for managing volunteers and interns; image migration; database standards; and working with exhibit creation. After moving to Pennsylvania, I continued researching and writing. This led to a term position as researcher for a book on paleoethnobotany of the Northern Plains, Under Prairie Skies.