I am a first year Ph.D. student in Dr. Sharlene Santana's lab at the University of Washington in Seattle. Previously, I was working as a high school science teacher at Native American high school in Fort Wingate, New Mexico. As a Masters student, I worked under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Cook at the University of New Mexico in the Department of Biology with the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB). My research focused on the taxonomy and phylogeography of the North American meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Coupled with lab work, I have actively been involved with field work and specimen preparation at the MSB. Some of my research interests include phylogeography, evolution, morphology, conservation and systematics.