In a state park near Asheville, NC.
A bit about myself:
I was born in Waterbury, Connecticut but grew up around Lowell, Massachusetts. Shortly before high school I moved to New Milford, Connecticut, but my family now lives in New Preston, Connecticut. I started to get involved in my community by creating the New Milford High School Debate Team and serving as president of the school’s German Honor Society. This involvement helped me gain valuable leadership and management skills and also fostered a love for creating change. I formed a strong interest in social studies and politics while in high school, and in spring of 2017, accepted my admission to American University.
I’m both interested and skilled in the creation and implementation of public policy. Currently, I work as a Financial Specialist Co-op in the Defender Services Office in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. My role allows me to support the financial functions of the administrative side of the federal public defender service. I often obligate and deobligate funds for the purpose or training public defenders and reviewing defender offices, ensuring the program is adequately and effectively providing the right to counsel guaranteed in the 6th Amendment. I also process reimbursements, organize data, and work on projects meant to improve our financial processes.
I’ve been involved in the campus community at American University, which has both improved students’ experiences and taught me how to serve. I’ve served as Treasurer of the AU College Democrats and as Chief of Staff for my residence hall. I’ve also served as Chief of Staff for the Residence Hall Association, Economic Policy Expert for the Roosevelt Network, and Treasurer for the Class of 2020 Class Council. These experiences have allowed me to learn about organization management, event financing, contract building, and community advocacy.
In the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program, I’ve worked with a team focused on environmental and sustainability issues to create a number of lessons on these topics for students in the District of Columbia. We gave a lesson focused on recycling and composting to students at Garrison Elementary School in April of 2018 to help young students make environmentally-friendly decisions. In fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 my work was focused on supporting workers on college campuses to ensure that they are treated fairly by their employers. I started The Works AU, a newsletter and social media platform focused on encouraging students to get involved in workers’ rights action around the District of Columbia. The project has since been picked up by the Roosevelt Network on campus and will hopefully continue into the future.
As a student in the Master of Public Administration Program, I hope to continue to improve my leadership, policy-crafting, policy-implementation skills so that I can work to improve the lives of those in need. My experiences growing up in a family that often struggled to get by, and seeing the struggles of my neighbors, friends, and family, have motivated me to find solutions to the problems that Americans face every day.
Additionally, I’m passionate about music and how to advocate for others through it. I play bass in a punk band in Connecticut, and I’ve also played drums for musical projects in the past. I hope to one day put my music to work to support my local community.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions about my work or ambitions. I’d love to chat with you!