My bachelor's degree is from the University of Michigan, where I studied cello with Anthony Elliott and strings pedagogy and viola with Robert Culver. University of Michigan is also where I earned my master's in music education, with research on service learning, active citizenship, and social justice in the orchestra classroom.

I began my musical journey in my hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia, with Suzuki violin lessons at age four. Five years later, I added cello, studying with Kathleen Melucci and David Premo. As a student, I attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Chatauqua Music Festival, and played in jazz combos and bluegrass bands. As an orchestra teacher, I have conducted the Dearborn Youth Symphony and worked in Detroit Cornerstone Schools, Ann Arbor Public Schools, and Iowa City Regina Catholic Education Center. I have taken Suzuki teacher training in Cello Books 1-4, and I am a member of Orchestra Iowa.