// words about me

I almost died when I was born. Weighed two pounds, six ounces. Spent most of my first year in an incubator because my lungs were like an abstract concept. I was so small you could have rolled me around the hospital in a hamster ball to the next set of tests that said I had a very small chance of living.

After a year incubated in Charlotte, North Carolina, my family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a land of steel, and rain, and rivers. My dad was a minister, and left my reliious choices up to me. My mom was a librarian, and left my reading choices up to me. They instilled a strong work ethic by working tirelessly and without complaint. I absorbed that, as much as I absorbed their belief in doing good.

I spent Freshman year of college as a graphic-design major. This was at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennyslvania. I soon got tired of living in a place where the only two seasons were Summer and Get Me The Hell Out Of Here, and transferred to Flagler College, in St. Augustine, Florida. I majored in English while earning minors in Communications and Creative Writing. Graphic and web design were still hobbies.

I made the Dean's list multiple times and received an invitation to join Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society. Then I headed to FSU for Post-Graduate certificates in Publishing and Editing and Web Design.

After FSU, I worked as an intern at Tallahassee Magazine and BleacherReport.com, as well as a Teaching Assistant at Carnegie Mellon University.
My first professional role was the Web Editor for SunshineStateNews.com. I written and visual content, maintained the site, and cultivated their fledgling social-media accounts. I also assisted with photography and videography. The site's visitation increased 300%.

I moved to Atlanta in 2011 to work for PasteMagazine.com. I composed a broad array of written content, from minor articles to profile features on myriad pop-culture topics. Some design-work and social-media work was also involved.

In mid-2011, I took a role as a web editor for Elsevier, a world-renowned publisher of medical content, and edited 100 news stories per week related to developments in the medical world, from FDA approvals to new equipment. I also worked part-time as a copywriter for LivingSocial.com.

Since then, I've worked at Verbatim as a copywriter for myriad tech products, and moved to San Francisco to obtain a Master's in Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco. I stepped across the stage in Dec. 2018, and took the completely useless piece of paper that represented a diploma, which arrived six months later.

I also worked at the University of San Francisco as a Web Content Specialist. where I maintained and edited the site, in addition to interpreting Google Analytics, and creating visual design components, and managing email campaigns based on user lifecycles. I've spent my free time writing novels, designing, songwriting, taking photos, and singing with moderately acceptable skill. I've also done stand-up comedy and improv. People can also find me giving public readings, sometimes at sold-out theaters, and volunteering with various organizations.