I am originally from Tampa, Florida and am now a rising senior at Duke University, with a double major in Physics and Political Science. After graduating, I plan to attend law school and work towards a career combining the sciences and legal issues. I am passionate about solving complex problems and finding novel ways to clearly explain scientific concepts, so I’m truly thrilled to be working on science policy this summer! Last year, I had the chance to work on climate policy at a think tank in D.C., where I used my physics background on a project coding Bayesian belief nets in Python to be used as tools for policy makers.

At Duke, one of my favorite activities is teaching physics. I am able to do this through community outreach at schools around Durham and by working as a physics lab teaching assistant. This past spring, I developed and taught my own course called “Physics for Everyone” which explored issues of accessibility in the sciences. As president of Duke’s SPS chapter, I am also able to launch many of my own initiatives to improve our physics community. On top of that, I love music (especially jazz!) and play saxophone in Duke’s pep band. I enjoy fixing and tinkering with instruments, so you can always pick me out of the crowd at basketball games by looking for the musician with blue tape on her saxophone. I am fascinated by the science of music, and next year, I will be doing physics research on the acoustics of saxophone mouthpieces.

In my free time (when I have any), I enjoy long runs, rock climbing, and good books—three of the best ways to keep challenging myself.