I am a graduate student working and learning at the University of Illinois, Chicago. I am pursuing a master's in Urban Planning and Policy after a lifetime of interest in cities and how they can better serve their inhabitants. I specialize in transportation planning and will earn certificates in transportation project management and data visualization with my degree. Previously, I served an AmeriCorps term with Habitat for Humanity in Chicago, Illinois. I graduated with the highest distinction from the University of Virginia with a major in Sociology. My research interests include transportation planning, environmental sustainability, and housing policy. At the University of Virginia, I completed a Distinguished Majors Program thesis in sociology based on ethnographic participant observation. My work investigated the relationship between new 311 technologies and municipal workers in Chicago. In my thesis, I argue that 311 and similar systems could not function without the supplemental procedures developed by adaptive city workers. You can read more in the "projects" section of my profile. I am excited to be a graduate teaching assistant at UIC this semester. I work closely with faculty member Dr. Keisha Farmer-Smith to provide undergraduate students with a broad but critical introduction to Urban Studies in US 101. You can also find me on the Chicago River guiding architectural history tours! I am a guide for Kayak Chicago, the city's first (and best) kayak tour guide company.