I grew up on hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest and have always been interested in our natural world. My bachelor’s degree is in Geology and Environmental Studies with an emphasis on hydrology. During my bachelor’s, I was fortunate to be selected for the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates summer program, which I spent in the Mojave Desert studying isolation-related non-tectonic rock cracking. In addition to this opportunity, I spent two summers as a hydrographer, one with Washington Water Trust in Seattle, Washington, and the following summer with Friends of the Teton River (FTR), a nonprofit water trust in the Teton Valley of eastern Idaho. My time with FTR was my first exposure to the role of science in public policy, and motivated me to include the broader impacts of science in my career and research, and propelled me to pursue a higher degree in groundwater modeling. I have been a graduate student at the University of Colorado since 2011. My research is now focused on modeling the effects of climate change on water resources in high altitude, mountainous watersheds.