Professional Involvement

Independent Contractor

I am contracted out by Coffeesmiths, a local coffee shop in Rolla, MO. Coffeesmiths was reopened by new owners in December 2023, and I bake fresh goods for them weekly. Baking has always been a hobby of mine, and this is the first time I have pursued it as a business venture. My best selling item is blueberry muffins, but I have also supplied them with cookies, chocolate banana bread, and cinnamon rolls. I plan to continue expanding the menu based on season and customer requests. I am hoping to continue this venture for as long as I remain in Rolla, and I am interested in pursuing a similar arrangement in any town I might be living in.

Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project

The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) is a research project sponsored by NASA. Many universities are involved with the goal of launching weather balloons to collect data during solar eclipses. On the Missouri S&T campus, this project is led by Dr. Jillian Schmidt of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department. I became involved with this project in January 2023 and will continue my involvement for the April 2024 solar eclipse. From January through May, I took a training with the rest of the team members to learn how to build, launch, and track a weather balloon with payloads. I created an activity for local elementary school children to communicate some of the principles we have been using during the project and presented to them on Missouri S&T’s STEM Day in May 2023. During the summer of 2023, I was a paid research intern responsible for building the tracking system and balloon payloads, along with my other team members. On October 14, 2023, I got to see all of our hard work and preparations come to fruition during the annular solar eclipse in Roswell, New Mexico. Again, on April 8, 2024, the team came back together and traveled to Perryville, MO to release and track another weather balloon during the total solar eclipse. I worked on the ground station team and contributed to tracking the weather balloon. During this project, I have improved my ability to work with a team and initiate productivity.

Community Involvement

Mosaic Church of Rolla

The Mosaic Church of Rolla is an organization that is very passionate about international outreach and ministry. I participate in multiple weekly meetings and have found genuine community with the people involved in this church. This organization has helped me connect with the people of Rolla outside of Missouri S&T. It is important to me to be surrounded by a diverse group of people so that I may learn and grow.

Volunteer Work

Throughout high school and college, I have made it a point to be involved in some type of volunteer work. Whether that takes the form of a mission trip or working the local food pantry, it has been amazing to see how simple acts of kindness impact so many people. I have done volunteer work in Memphis, TN; Tampa, FL; Kansas City, MO; Rolla, MO; and Butte, MT; among other places. I have been able volunteer at veterans’ homes, nursing homes, pregnancy centers, food pantries, and so many other places in need of help. It is important to me that I use my skills to help those around me.