Following my undergraduate studies, I worked in my hometown  of Carbondale, IL for a couple years before moving to the greater Atlanta area to work for CDF: A Collective Action Initiative, a community engagement organization based in a city named Clarkston that served as the site of relocation for a large community of refugees from abroad. Following that experience, I then relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2014 where I met my wife Marion Edgemeyer and began establishing roots. I completed a M.S. program in Communication Studies at Portland State University, and have since then worked at Portland Japanese Garden in the Visitor Relations department, including concierge, ticketing, and guest services.

I am always in search of new opportunities to use my professional skills, especially communication, non-profit management and operations, photography, and writing, or to assist non-profit organizations working to create a more sustainable and inclusive environment. My specific areas of focus include mental health, global immigration, DEI and cultural reconciliation, and environmentalism. I’m a lifelong learner and hopeless romantic continuously working to improve myself, live life to its fullest, and to skillfully observe and report.