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Bio statement
I'm a PhD English student at the University of Florida where I study the intersections between technology, art, and health. Some of my interests include LGBTQ+ identity, disability, healthcare access in rural environments, and digital storytelling.
Before coming to the University of Florida, I served as a Fulbright ETA grantee in the English Department at the University of Szczecin, Poland, and a Scholar-in-Residence for the nonprofit iGIANT (Impact of Gender and Sex on Innovation and Novel Technologies). I am from rural Appalachia, and the traditional medicines and oral storytelling practices of this region inspire my research. Some of my favorite content creators include the late Clara of Great Depression Cooking; sound studies scholar Sean Zdenek; TikTok forager and educator Alexis Nikole; as well as disability and LGBTQ+ advocate Carrie Wade.
I'm also a certified meditation and yoga instructor. I became an instructor because I had trouble finding a fat-friendly, disability-focused yoga instructor in my town. Now, I offer free sessions and post yoga story-time videos based on popular children's books on TikTok. These videos began as a way to help provide educational content to children learning at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, but I continue to post the yoga story-times for teachers and youth librarians to use.
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Educational background:
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2018 - current: PhD English student at the University of Florida
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2020: MA in English and graduate certificate in digital humanities from the University of Florida
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2018: Professional certificate in public library management from University of MichiganX
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2017: BA in English with honors and Gender in Text minor from Emory & Henry College
Digital
outreach
I have years of experience curating content on websites, engaging audiences on social media, and writing copy for places like the National Children's Museum, Lambda Literary, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I completed the Movement School fellowship with a focus in digital outreach and advertising.
Award-winning storytelling
and viral content
I've been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and I've won grants to create podcasts with the National Humanities Center.
From topics like Dolly Parton to AI therapy apps, my online content has earned millions of views (and counting).
Nonprofit
advocacy
I've worked with numerous nonprofits to expand their educational content, write volunteer manuals, or edit content on their websites. I am passionate about helping nonprofit organizations use digital tools to make their content accessible to people of all abilities.
I regularly volunteer to transcribe documents for the Library of Congress, narrate open-access books for LibriVox library, create VR tours of museums, and write new entries for the National Park Service's Telling All Americans' Stories project.
International
teaching
I have been certified in Secondary English Education in the state of Virginia.
I've also won numerous teaching awards, including a Fulbright ETA grant to Poland in 2017-2018 and was nominated for a 2020 University of Florida excellence in teaching award, which was put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I regularly lead workshops with the University of Florida's Center for Teaching Excellence.
