As a Holistic Public Health major I will be studying health beyond the traditionally emphasized physical health. While I recognize physical health to be an important factor in one’s overall wellbeing, I also believe it is crucial to acknowledge intersecting variables such as mental health, environmental health, relational health, and financial wellbeing. I have experienced firsthand the dangers of relying on purely physical health indicators and expensive medications as treatment. There is so much more we can address to support a whole and healthy lifestyle.

I have yet to study abroad due to the pandemic, but I am very interested in such programs in the future. In particular, I would love to travel anywhere in southeast Asia and South or Central America.

In 2019 I participated in an internship through Crabtree Farms in Chattanooga, Tennessee entitled Nonprofit Communication. In this internship I collaborated with faculty members to develop advertising techniques to reach nearby communities who may benefit from programs the farm had to offer. I also worked on the farm and travelled to the local market to see every step of the process we were advertising.

I have been doing aerial dance for approximately eleven years and I am currently a trapeze and lyra instructor at Elevation Arts and Fitness. Over summer and winter breaks, I work at the Tennessee Aquarium, though this coming summer I hope to participate in another internship or an academic program. I am a part of the Students Basic Needs Coalition and Vols to Vols Peer Health Educators program. In my free time, I like to do yoga, pole, or stand-up paddle boarding. I also like to care for my pets; I have a chameleon, a crested gecko, a fish, two dogs, and counting.