I am a Doctoral Student at the University of Cincinnati, where I am the Editorial Assistant for the Children, Youth, Environments (CYE) Journal and conducts research with the Artlitt Center for Education, Research, & Sustainability. After more than a decade working in nonprofit leadership and community organizing focusing on environmental and social justice, I returned to academia to earn her Master's in Environmental Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. There, my work focused on the impact of nature-based learning on children’s empathy development. I co-designed and co-facilitated a 7-month professional learning experience that supported 15 early childhood educators in deepening their empathy practices through intentional & respectful engagement with Indigenous peoples and perspectives. Through my work, I seek to support teachers, children, and their families in creating experiences that affirm children’s agency, support their connection to the Earth, and create opportunities to meaningfully work together towards a just and sustainable present and future.