I was born and raised in Pierre, South Dakota, and earned my undergraduate degree in biology from Augustana University in Sioux Fall, SD. For the past 7 years, pre-coronavirus, I had been living and working in Mozambique — first as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching high school biology in a coastal village in Northern Mozambique, then as an education officer and youth program manager at Gorongosa National Park. I am passionate about youth development, education, and conservation, and I love learning new things. My current research interests are broad and involve human population growth, youth unemployment, climate change, and sustainable livelihoods options in Sub-Saharan Africa.