I am a first-year counseling psychology Ph.D.-track student in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Originally from Portland, Oregon, I attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where I received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Race and Ethnic Studies in 2012.

My primary research interest is in LGBTQ issues within psychology, with additional interests including multicultural issues, race/ethnic issues, gender issues, intersectionality, adjustment, and resilience. I am presently involved in studies about LGBTQ peoples’ interactions with law enforcement personnel and resilience in trauma survivors; I have previously worked on studies examining the role of personality in frameworks of LGB mental health and the extent to which self-defining memories can predict adjustment outcomes. During the next several years, I hope to explore mental health needs or outcomes in one or more understudied sub-populations of the LGBTQ population, such as LGBTQ people who are low-income, have Asperger’s syndrome, or are in the closet.

My clinical experience is more limited, but I am excited to gain more experience in the coming years. I am soon beginning a practicum at the Hosford Clinic at UC Santa Barbara. I also had a clinical-influenced practicum from 2011-12 at the Community Center for Youth in Walla Walla in conjunction with supervision through Whitman College.

In addition to psychology, I am also an involved journalist. I served as a reporter and editor for The Pioneer at Whitman College, where I won a Hosokawa Award for Excellence in News Reporting. I am presently a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and have also contributed to LGBTQ Nation. I am proud to have used these platforms to spread psychological research to a wide audience on several occasions, such as a column last year about the psychological effects of marriage definition ballot measures.