ABOUT ME
I am a PhD Candidate of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and received my MA of Anthropology from the same university in Spring of 2020. I am a current NSFGRFP Fellow as well as a co-founder and committee administrator for the Graduate Students Committee Against Racism within my department to promote inclusivity, self-education, and community engagement. My hobbies include watching Food Network, true-crime podcasts, and playing with my three-legged cat named Babou.
I grew up in South Central Alaska and completed by BA of Anthropology 400 miles north at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where the winters can be incredibly harsh but humbling. The foundation of my archaeological knowledge and skills were built in this region where I had the privilege to work on some of the oldest archaeology sites in North America.
I moved to the small state of Texas in Fall of 2018 to begin graduate school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas under Dr. Karen Lupo. I received my MA of Anthropology in Spring of 2020 and reached PhD Candidacy in Spring of 2021.
My dissertation research is an ethnoarchaeological project of a Central African forest forager group incorporating isotopic, cortisol, and faunal analysis to study meat-sharing and consumption patterns and how they intersect within this community. I focus on women’s role within these social and dietary practices while looking at the family unit as a whole by incorporating women, men, and children. I am also interested in the ancient history of Central African foragers, particularly in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country often overlooked when discussing ancient Tropical Africa.