I was born and raised in Denison, TX. In elementary school, I loved math and science and read as many books about space as I could find. A born star-gazer, I spent many of my evenings laying in my backyard learning the names of stars and constellations by heart. I still routinely sit outside my house and stargaze for fun. As part of my love of space, I started reading lots of science fiction as well. H. G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke are still a couple of my favorite authors.
For college, I moved north to the University of Oklahoma, where I received a B.S. in Physics. As part of my physics degree, I took all the astronomy classes that were offered, which included two classes where we got to operate the campus telescope. I got involved in astronomy research my junior year and worked on projects including active galaxies and metal-poor stars. My senior research project involved comparing the abundances of many elements, such as magnesium, iron, and europium, in stars at the outer edges of the Milky Way.
I joined the University of Texas Department of Astronomy to pursue an M.A. and Ph.D. in Astrophysics studying the composition and structure of gas surrounding supermassive black holes in active galaxies. During my time as a graduate student, I have worked with McDonald Observatory to develop multiple materials and activities used to teach students at all levels, from elementary school though college, including workshop materials about the nature of the Sun.