I grew up in the small coastal town of Lincolnville, ME. Much of my childhood was spent playing in the woods behind my house or exploring the inter-tidal zone at the beach. I've spent most of my life in Northern New England (ME, NH, or VT), but have lived for the past 4.5 years in our nation's Capitol.

High School:

I attended high school at Camden-Rockport High School (now Camden Hills Regional HS), home of the Windjammers. I was fortunate to have a number of excellent science teachers in high school. I was also involved with the environmental club, EarthVision, and a founding member of Camden Partners in Monitoring, a volunteer group dedicated to monitoring the health and water quality of the Megunticook lake watershed. This was the first group of its kind in the state of Maine to start in a school and then branch out to the community. It was a combination of these things that led me to pursue a degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire.

College:

While in college, I became very active in the campus environmental organization, the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). I was the coordinator of the group for two years, helping the organization earn the "Student Organization of the Year" Award. I interned with the NH Chapter of the Sierra Club the summer before my Junior year and was first introduced to the Sierra Student Coalition (the student-run arm of the Sierra Club), by attending a training they held in Vermont. I was a guest presenter at the training and was asked to come back the following year as a full-trainer. That following summer, I helped found the SSC Training Department and served as a member for over four years, helping to shape the vision of the department, design trainings and workshops, and run over twelve week-long trainings for high school and college students as well as helping to design and run three weekend-long Training for Trainer (T4T) events.

Organizing:

After graduating from college, I coordinated the Vote Environment Campaign for the SSC, then went on to work for the NH Sierra Club. When I decided to go back to grad school, I ran for the Chapter Executive Committee and served as the Chapter Chair for nearly two years (to the best of my knowledge,becoming the youngest Chapter Chair in the history of the Sierra Club at the age of 23).

In the Fall of 2006, I moved to Washington, DC to pursue a career in grassroots organizing, combining my passion for education with my passion for social and environmental action. I was the coordinator of the Greenpeace Organizing Term for a semester before returning to the Sierra Student Coalition as their Training Director, a position I served in until November 2010, at which time I resigned to reflect on the past few years and determine what direction I want to take my life in in 2011 and beyond.

Teaching:

I attended Antioch New England College (now Antioch University of New England) from the Fall of 2002 to the Spring of 2004. I graduated from the Environmental Studies Teacher Certification Program. My final semester at Antioch I was student teaching at Souhegan High School in Amherst, NH. Souhegan is part of the Coalition of Essential Schools and an amazing place. While I was there, I was able to work with two Junior-level Conservation Biology classes, two Senior-level Nature Seminar classes (Con. Bio. II), and two Senior-level Bio. World classes (college-level Bio.). I taught a solo unit in the Nature Seminar and the Bio World classes. I proceeded to teach high school science for two years, first at Springfield High School in VT then at the start-up charter school Cocheco Arts & Technology Academy in Dover, NH.

Poetry:

Another one of my pastimes is writing poetry, something that has become quite important in my life. I started to write in high school as the result of a creative writing class I took with Mr. Potter. I have been part of informal writing groups in the past and enjoy reading at open mics and coffee houses. While at Antioch, I have been part of a couple Field Study classes and field trips that have been very fruitful for inspiration. More recently, I have formed a poetry group in DC called "Small is Beautiful Poetry Group" which focuses on the revision process; we meet weekly to share new works, discuss and give each other feedback on our writing. I also read regularly at "The Garden Open Mic" at Bloombars.

Art & Photography:

I've recently started to develop my photography and artwork, that has been a hobby for years, into a side project that will hopefully become a small revenue generator. You can check out some of my work (prints, art, and photo cards on my Art & Photography page)