During my current degree and M.A. I served as a teaching assistant for three courses. Two courses focused on different areas of anthropology, and the third class is a speech class. I have taught over 300 undergraduate students to date. As an environmental educator, I led a variety of programs. Living in the Midwest, most programs focused on habitats, specifically prairies, and the animals that lived there. I led over 150 programs and interacted with over 5,000 people, primarily elementary school children. I was able to teach with the help of ambassador animals, my favorite of which were the box turtles and fox snake. I developed new programs and new interpretive displays for the nature center. I also led the efforts that resulted in one of the organizations becoming designated as a Bird Friendly County and also installing solar panels at 2 parks to date, with more to come. I was also fortunate to participate in prairie restoration efforts throughout my time as an educator. As a conservation coordinator, I led a new conservation campaign aimed at reducing single-use plastics, starting with plastic straws. This campaign led to partnerships with other businesses in the area and their pledge to stop their consumption of single-use plastic straws. I also oversaw two ongoing campaigns, one aimed at pollinator conservation and the other at bald eagle conservation through the use of non-lead ammunition when hunting.  

My previous research has focused on wildlife conservation, both in the wild and in captivity. During my M.A. I studied chimpanzees in Senegal. My research specifically focused on the influence of human disturbances on nesting behavior. During my B.S., I participated in three studies at the local accredited zoo looking at animal behavior, enrichment, and health. 

I volunteer for multiple organizations focused on education and/or conservation. I have volunteered with one organization since 2009 collecting and shipping books to schools in East Africa. These schools have reached out to our organization requesting books so their students can have access to learning materials. Another organization I volunteer for emphasizes conservation and education in communities in Madagascar. I have created educational materials for this organization to implement in the schools they have built or partner with. This organization also helps the community invest in sustainable livelihoods and protect their natural resources.