Growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the chemical industry was considered a part of day-to-day life (there was a chemical plant down the road from my high school!). Being surrounded by the chemical industry and inspired by my grandfather and father to pursue science, I attended the University of Alabama earning a degree in Chemical Engineering (with cum laude honors) and a minor in history. I held a Process Improvement Co-op position for two rotations with WestRock in Charleston, South Carolina where I focused on the black liquor recovery process working with equipment like evaporators and a reboiler. My first career position is with Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tennessee where I am a Process Improvement Engineer in the Cellulose Esters Development Division.