I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and got a bachelors degree in Geology at the University of Utah. During my time at UofU, I worked for three years in Paleontology Collections at the Natural History Museum of Utah. I also worked with Dr. Gabe Bowen reconstructing ancient climates and enviornments using the chemistry of ancient soils (paleosols). I had two internships in stable isotope labs working with human remains and explosive materials. I got a masters degree at Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada with Dr. Dave Greenwood, studying the lithostratigraphy, ancient vegetation, and ancient climate of the early Eocene McAbee Fossil Beds in south-central British Columbia.