I received my undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas in Denton and double majored in Linguistics and International Studies with a focus on business and economics and minored in Chinese.

 

During my Chinese studies in undergraduate school 

I had the opportunity to study abroad in Beijing and Xi'an for the summer of 2011. This experience, combined with the international travel I did with my family as a child, helped solidify they idea that I wanted to work with people of different backgrounds and continue traveling abroad. 

​

During the summer of 2012, I traveled within the United States and worked with people of different lifestyles and upbringings while interning with Southwestern Advantage. This internship gave me a chance to see how different people live within multiple communities in Michigan. It taught me a lot about myself, as well as tools that I have been able to use throughout my career path and even to this day.

​

I leveraged skills learned during my internship while working as an English teacher for Gloria English School in Taiwan. The abilities I gained in time management and learning to quickly adapt to new environments were especially useful. Developing resources and learning how to effectively deal with the challenges that come with being in a different country with diverse local cultures.

​

As an English teacher in Taiwan I had the opportunity to work with students of all ages and language levels and discover successful ways to be part of an immersive learning environment. 

 

After teaching in Taiwan I returned to Texas and started work as the office manager at Zygmont Chiropractic in Austin. This provided me with the opportunity to sharpen my management competence and gain new abilities specific to the chiropractic and insurance fields. 

​

Being back in the United States I missed the practice of regularly using my Chinese. Before starting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in September, I was fortunate to be able to sharpen my Chinese language ability by returning to Taiwan for a road trip with friends and through participation in the Summer Intensive Language Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. 

​

Now, I am working on my Masters' with the goal to synthesize my past experiences and knowledge with the current development of new competencies to be able to help create a world with beneficial and effective communication between people of different backgrounds and cultures.