Originally hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, I developed a vivid fascination with history from an early age which continues to flourish. I largely attribute my historical interests to my mother who brought me to museums and reenactments regularly. I also participated in Boy Scouts of America, receiving their National Certificate of Merit for my actions during a flood. Through Boy Scouts, I gained experience in the outdoors, hiking, and camping across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Aside from these activities, admittedly, I struggled academically throughout my time in school. I attended Myers Park and Fort Mill High School, where I graduated in 2016, though I only found my stride in college.
I attended Guilford College, in Greensboro, North Carolina a Quaker-affiliated, liberal arts institution. At Guilford, I honed and obtained skills in historical research, academic writing, German-to-English translation, video editing, podcast production, and German language teaching. During my undergraduate studies, I received all four Algie I. Newlin Awards from the History Department, and I received inductions to Phi Alpha Theta, History National Honors Society, and Delta Phi Alpha, German National Honors Society.
I completed a bachelor's History departmental honors thesis titled, “Rhetorical Impetus: Methods and Motivations of Hessian Desertion” which examined the effectiveness of American-produced, German-language propaganda on Hessian defections. A paper related to my thesis won an Undergraduate Paper Award at the 2020 Phi Alpha Theta Carolina's Regional Conference, and the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association published an article I authored related to my thesis. After the successful defense of my undergraduate thesis, I graduated from Guilford with high honors in December 2020.
Shortly after graduation, I received acceptance from Fulbright Austria’s English teaching assistant program. From 2021-2023, I served as an English Teaching Assistant at BG/BRG, HAK/HTL, and HLK/HLW Freistadt, Upper Austria, administered by Fulbright Austria. During my tenure in Freistadt, I honed my skills teaching both English and History and gained invaluable experiences traveling and practicing my German language skills among native speakers. I also volunteered at the local Schlossmuseum, writing a comprehensive history of the city in English entitled, “Free in More Than Name: A History of Freistadt, Upper Austria, 1224-1626,” a project which greatly assisted in expanding my translation and writing skills.
As my time in Freistadt came to a close, I looked for history masters’ programs in Austria, gaining admittance to Central European University in Vienna where I presently am pursuing a Master of Arts in Comparative History at Central European University in Vienna, as an Alumni Scholarship Recipient. My academic focuses include Southeast Europe, European borderlands, political revolutions, and European nationalism. I plan on graduating from CEU in 2025. After completion of my master's studies, I hope to complete a Ph.D. in History in the United States, continuing my lifelong pursuit of a career researching and teaching in the field.