A Short Bio
My adolescence was spent in Montevideo, Minnesota, a place of rolling hills, five thousand people and countless acres of corn. I had a wonderful time growing up in the school system there, a system that allowed and encouraged students to join sports, band, choir, math team, speech and still try to make it to the evening musical rehearsal. That’s where my love of learning and participating in an eclectic mix of activities began.
After I graduated, I spent my freshman year of college studying flute performance, vocal performance and biology at Luther College. After a year, I transferred to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities to pursue an English degree—and, well, to join the marching band. (That wasn’t the entire reason, but c’mon, it’s a pretty good one!)
In mid-2016 I returned from a semester abroad at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, where I had studied and traveled internationally for the first time. Shortly after returning I began working my first full-time job at UnitedHealth Group and have continued pursuing my communications and creative passions through my career since then.
Check out the Experience page for a deeper dive into my professional experiences.
Philosophies
Every day I strive to be more present, more positive, more creative and more curious, characteristics that I try to base my thoughts, actions and creations upon. In both art and my personal life, I work hard to prevent black-and-white representations of matters by engaging in thoughtful conversations with people from all walks of life, and by encouraging consideration of all viewpoints, especially opposing ones.
As a creative, I feel most fulfilled working through several mediums as I’m able to continuously convey ideas in different ways. I'm especially fascinated with the idea that people can change, either through an outside stimulus or a spark of motivation from within.
Random Tidbits
I scream and violently run away from bees. One of the most embarrassing moments of my life was when this happened on my first date 8 years ago (luckily, he hasn't screamed and run away from me yet).
I once made an appearance on ESPN as a disheveled and sweaty member of the University of Minnesota Marching Band. It's my claim to fame.
The first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies are really the only ones that matter.
One of my favorite concepts is that love is not a feeling, it’s an action.