Hello! I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr. Katherine Fantauzzo in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where I investigate cellular mechanisms and gene regulation downstream of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling activation in mammalian craniofacial development.

I am originally from the small town of Norlina in rural Warren County, North Carolina. I knew that I wanted to be a scientist the first time I met a Black scientist in middle school at a STEM summer program. That same scientist first introduced me to biomedical research while I was a senior at the NC School of Science and Mathematics and I have been at it ever since. Because of her influence, I want to become a professor to educate and inspire the next generation of scientists, particularly those from historically minoritized and marginalized populations in STEM.

I earned my B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from NC State University in May 2018. While at NC State, I was a Park Scholar, a leader in multiple student organizations, an introductory biology teaching assistant, and a Society for Developmental Biology "Choose Development!" undergraduate research fellow in the lab of Dr. Nanette Nascone-Yoder. I also completed an undergraduate research experience in the lab of Dr. Pamela Yelick through the Tufts University Building Diversity in the Biomedical Sciences program.

I earned my Ph.D. in Molecular and Developmental Biology from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. I worked in the lab of Dr. Samantha Brugmann in the Division of Developmental Biology, investigating the role of the ciliary protein C2cd3 in Hedgehog signaling and craniofacial tissue patterning using avian and murine embryo models. While at the University of Cincinnati, I was heavily involved with the school's SACNAS chapter and helped found the Black Biomedical Graduates student group. I received the Albert J. Ryan Foundation Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed upon a graduate student in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine during their graduate studies, as well as the Albert C. Yates Fellowship from the University of Cincinnati Graduate College and an NIH F31 predoctoral research fellowship from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

My work and accomplishments have been featured by The Node, The Scientist, Park Scholarships, and the Department of Biological Sciences at NC State.