I grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and I knew from a young age that I wanted a career that would allow me to work with animals.  After separating from the Navy in 2017, I decided to continue my education and to pursue a degree that would set me up for a future in the animal industry. I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021 with a major in Animal Sciences and a concentration in food animal production and management.

Starting as an undergraduate student I knew that I wanted to work in the animal industry, but I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to take my education. In 2018, I started working in Dr. Hans Stein’s lab at the Swine Research Center. Through my work in Dr. Stein’s lab as an undergraduate, I found my passion for nutrition research and working with pigs. I wanted to continue to explore research within the swine industry and during the summer of 2020, I had the opportunity to intern with The Maschhoffs in their research and development department. My internship with The Maschhoffs allowed me to see how companies in the animal industry conduct research and the impact that nutrition can have on swine production. These experiences helped me determine that I wanted to continue to expand my knowledge of nutrition research and the swine industry in graduate school.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to continue working and learning in Dr. Stein’s lab as a graduate student.