I have a passion for understanding language structure, with special interest in generative syntax and Athabaskan languages. 

I began my journey in Linguistics at the University of Utah while also obtaining a TESOL certificate. I taught English in Taiwan to Mandarin-speakers and in Salt Lake city to a range of students; but primarily Spanish-speakers and Portuguese-speakers. 

I was fortunate enough to have been accepted into MIT’s Indigenous Languages Initiative (MITILI) graduate program. Under the guidance of Norvin Richards and Adam Albright , I developed a deeper understanding of the various theories surrounding phrase structure and which of those concern Diné Bizaad. Independently, I was able to study Athabaskan linguistic works written by Eloise Jelinek, Keren Rice, Joyce McDonough, Margaret Speas, Paul Platero, and Ken Hale.

Currently, I am being advised by Emily Clem and the department of linguistics at the University of California, UCSD. My current interests include exploring wh- movement (or lack thereof) characteristics in Navajo, the details concerning the "negation frame" in Navajo syntactic structures, and Navajo question marker differences.