I was born and raised on my family’s 300+ acre dairy farm—a place where creeks, fields, pastures, and woods weren’t just scenery, but shaping forces. Life was built around early mornings, hard work, and deep connection to the land. I grew up raising dairy cows, dogs, cats, and even a few seasons of show pigs. My family also tends to large vegetable gardens every summer. My parents still sell produce at a little roadside stand and spend countless hours canning tomatoes, mustards, salsas, and freezing sweet corn for the winter. These rhythms of planting, preserving, and providing nurture not only my body, but my sense of purpose and patience—qualities that I carry into my work as an occupational therapist.

It has been said that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back at my life so far, I can say that I have always loved being outside, but I never thought of it as a relationship. On top of that, I definitely never thought that it would lead me down a career path with that relationship at the center of it all. Regardless of what I thought, I know now that this is my path and what I have to offer to the world!