I was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, which lies just over the Mississippi from St. Louis.
I received a BBA in Management Consulting from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business,
graduating at the top of my class within my major and receiving the Hamilton Award for Management.

After interning on Capitol Hill and considering going back to work in Washington, DC my senior year
of college, after witnessing many of my former colleagues seek to make the shift to academia,
I decided to pursue political science instead and attend graduate school. I thought I was prepared
for the onslaught of lake-effect snow after enduring four winters under the South Bend permacloud,
but I still found myself shocked at the sublime Rochester winters.

I savor the wonderful weather offered in Rochester during the summer here, and when not working on my
dissertation or other papers, I often go for walks or runs around town, and I have competed in a number
of competitive 5K and 10K races in the area. I'm a board member of the Notre Dame Club of Rochester, and
I do my best to cheer on our Fighting Irish every game and try to get back to watch at least one game a year.