My academic journey began at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam as a result of being recruited to be on the basketball team. I realized that Division III basketball was a large commitment, so I continued my education at Clinton Community College, earning a Math/Science AS degree while finishing my basketball career. Returning to SUNY Potsdam afterward, I pursued double majors in math and computer science, culminating in a BA degree in both disciplines. My academic journey progressed further with the completion of a MA degree in math. The entire math department and my advisor, Dr. Cornelia Yuen, were (and are) incredible. I obtained a solid background in measure theory, abstract algebra and linear algebra, and they opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities.

Driven by a desire for applied knowledge, I found my passion in statistics, drawn by its rapid growth in sports and other fields. Joining the statistics PhD program at the University of Connecticut (UConn) felt like a full circle moment, rooted in my family ties to the area and years of watching basketball games. My dissertation research has been under the guidance of Dr. Dipak K. Dey in the statistics department at UConn and co-advisor Dr. Shariq Mohammed in the biostatistics department at Boston University. Our research involves developing Bayesian approaches for simultaneous estimation and feature extraction applied to sparse, high-dimensional spatio-temporal data. Our proposed methods are aimed at conquering the curse of high-dimensionality and computational burden experienced in modeling complex data. We apply our methods to electroencephalography (EEG) data, aiming to analyze electrical activity between brain locations over time and predict alcohol status. Our ongoing work focuses on refining and advancing our methods, contributing to the evolving landscape of statistical methodologies.

In my personal life, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. Whether it be traveling, attending live music, or playing games inside, time with family and friends is precious. Traveling to new places is one of my favorite things to do, especially new beaches and mountains. Sports have always been a major part of my life and are my biggest passion. I grew up playing basketball, baseball, soccer, football, and hockey. My favorite sports to watch are college basketball, professional football, and professional baseball. There is no better sporting event than college basketball March Madness, in my opinion. Go UConn Huskies!