My Family
I was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky and lived most of my young life in and around Elizabethtown, Kentucky. I have an older sister, Shelee, who is married and has one son, Adam. He is the coolest nephew ever! I also have a younger brother, Michael. He is also married and has three children, Anna, Myles, and Addison (the newest edition). My parents, Ron and Debbie, and both of my siblings still live in the Elizabethtown area, and I look forward to visiting them. The newest edition to my home here in Georgetown is my cat, Reese.
The College Years
I spent my undergraduate years at Murray State University in Murray, KY. I enjoyed my four years there and was busy being involved on campus. I played in the Murray State Racer Band, gave tours as a Student Ambassador, and was actively involved in the Murray State Honors Program and the Euclidean Math Club. One of the highlights of my undergraduate experience was my study abroad experience in Regensburg, Germany. The summer after my junior year I did research at an REU at the Oklahoma Weather Center. I graduated in May 2002 with a B.A. Honors Diploma in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. That summer I spent time participating in EDGE, a summer program for women
pursing graduate degrees in mathematics.
Graduate School
After spending most of my life in Kentucky, I decided to check out Texas. I spent two years at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. After receiving my Master’s in May 2004, I decided it was time to move closer to home for a while.
My final years as as student were spent in Carbondale, Illinois at Southern Illinois University. In the summer of 2006, I participated in the Graduate Math Program (GMP). After three busy years studying graph theory at SIU I received my Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Walter Wallis in May 2007.
Life After the Ph.D.
I’m currently in my third year in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Southwestern University. Besides teaching my classes and continuing my research, I’m currently the sponsor of the math honors society, Pi Mu Epsilon. Also, I’m interested in studying the use of Tablet PCs in the mathematics classroom.