Biography and Research statement: I received my B.S. in Biochemistry and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Missouri in May 2023. While completing this coursework, I studied osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) in the lab of Dr. Charlotte Phillips. When the pandemic hit and I was stranded at home, I had the opportunity to provide Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to children with autism. While these are vastly different experiences, they led to my desire to pursue questions related to the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal health and how disruption of these processes leads to disease. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Neuroscience here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.