I am a double Jumbo with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences and a master’s degree in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from the Friedman School. While a Friedman student, I conducted research at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and was a regular volunteer at the Boston Medical Center’s Preventive Food Pantry, which provides healthy food “prescriptions” for low-income patients with nutrition-related health issues. After working for a year in the health sciences in San Francisco, I sought to learn more about the agricultural side of the food system. This desire (along with the warm weather) led me northeast to the University of California-Davis, where I returned to school to complete my PhD. As a PhD student in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, my research was highly interdisciplinary and I was able to make invaluable connections with researchers across the agricultural, food, environmental, and health sciences.
Beyond my research, I discovered two new passions while at UC Davis: 1) STEM Career Development and 2) Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I spent two years as a career instructor for first year students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and was awarded 4 fellowships spanning food systems and business innovation. I currently work as an agriculture and food systems researcher at HowGood—a venture-backed, mission-driven startup building a sustainability intelligence platform for the food industry. Alongside my full-time job, I am the co-founder of the personal and professional development business, Golden Acorn. Since leaving Friedman, I have also worked with several food nonprofits on a variety of causes, including the Upcycled Food Association (food waste reduction), the International Potato Center (international agricultural development), 18 Reasons (nutrition education), and Alchemist Community Development Corporation (healthy food access).
