I was born on 5/17/1984, in Boston, MA.  I always enjoyed woodworking, from summer camp at age 8 to high school shop class.  Spent lots of time working with my hands in other artistic medias- painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture and stained glass.  I also coordinated a few murals in community centers and coffee shops, during high school and college. My mom had an 18' Cape Dory growing up; I sometimes sailed with her at our summer house in Souther Maine but I was too young to really know what I was doing, beyong steering through fields of lobster pots... I dabbled in canoeing, kayaking, sailing other small boats, whitewater rafting, windsurfing at camp and on vacations but it wasn't really a passion; I was just into everything.

I graduated Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 2006 with a bachelors in fine arts, specifically oil painting and a minor in architectural design.  Spent a lot of time with extracurriculars- president of Habitat for Humanity, founder of Women's Club Lacrosse Team after one year on the sidelines of varsity, Green Campus (recycling and other treehugger stuff), mentoring and tutoring.  Didn't want to be a commercial artist nor spend senior year interviewing for jobs... decided after an internship with the New England Aquarium's Harbor Discoveries program (educational summer camp for kids) to join the crew of the Liberty Clipper after graduation.

Two weeks after graduation I moved onboard the Clipper- 125' steel-hulled schooner that did charters, harbor tours, and some educational programs in and around Boston Harbor. Was a deckhand all season then spent most of the transit down to Key West puking my guts out, decided offshore sailing was not for me.  Crewed 80' Liberty down in the Keys, then did a 3 month internship at the Dolphin Research Center.  I spent the following fall as a deckhand educator onboard the 140' Spirit of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.  Her pilot season consisted of mostly day trips with 5th and 6th graders.  Traveled around Hawaii as a WWOOFer (willing workers on organic farms) with boyfriend Shaun, who I met sailing in Key West for the Winter, applied to IYRS while away, spent the summer before school started back on Clipper in Boston as a deckhand.  After SOSC I had decided to go back to school, was considering a masters in education, but stumbled upon IYRS while in Newport one day... saw the boats out front and thought "what are these boats doing on land?" Was sick of hitting my head on deckbeams all the time and living on a boat with a bunch of other people and wanted no part in being a mate or captain, but wanted to stay in the boating industry.  IYRS fused this with my interest in art and furthering my education.

What I like best about IYRS is the sharing of ideas and special projects beyong the restoration projects- people making their own tools, surfboards, furniture, toboggans. Nothing compares to pushing off from the dock in a boat, I helped to build on Launch Day but I find the versatility of the skills it took, to make that boat the most valuable product of my education.  IYRS teaches its students how to solve their own problems and the reasoning behind certain techniques in boatbuilding.

My summer apprenticeship on Black Watch, a 68' racing yawl taught me that I want no part in the racing world!  I enjoy boatbuilding but am growing more and more eager to test out my skills on another area of woodworking.  After IYRS I hope to find a historic home preservation company to work with and focus on learning how make more decorative elements of homes, furniture or boats.  I really enjoyed spar-making and would love to pursue that, as well as some more finish work. Varnishing is my zen.

I very much enjoy reading, making jewelry and clothing, working with kids and animals, traveling, eating.  Living with boyfriend of 3 years, planning on traveling around SE Asia in the fall, then moving back to Key West. Middletown, RI.