Why did you choose graduate school at IU Indianapolis?
I chose IU Indianapolis because of its strong biomedical research environment at the IU School of Medicine and the opportunity to work within a collaborative, One of my favorite academic accomplishments has been being selected for the Sherry Queener Graduate Student Excellence Award and the IUI Elite 50, which in culmination highlighted both my research progress and service to the university and local community. Another was receiving the Charles H. Turner Young Investigator Award in 2024 and traveling to Snowmass, CO to present my work. It was my first-ever platform presentation, and the experience of sharing my research in that setting was both challenging and energizing. I met many outstanding researchers there, several of whom I’ve stayed in touch with and who have become an informal support network and familiar faces at other conferences we have all attended over the last few years.
What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?
I enjoy that Indianapolis offers many of the benefits of a large city with a relatively affordable cost of living. The campus is integrated into the downtown area, which makes it easy to balance lab work with access to green spaces, local coffee shops, and community events. A highlight for me every year is the Indy Mini, along with the broader sports culture here, including the Indy 500 and its month of celebrations. I also enjoy the wide range of concerts across different music genres and the Christkindl market during the holiday season, which reminds me of home.
What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?
The thing that I enjoy most about living in Indianapolis is embracing the Irvington community where I live. Specifically, the Pennsy Trail, which is part of the "rails-to-trails" project adopted by the city, has become a great place to log some miles and meet the folks I consider my neighbors.
Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.
My research focuses on how chronic kidney disease alters bone and bone marrow environments, particularly the interplay between bone marrow adipose tissue, immune cells, and skeletal integrity. I use a combination of in vivo models, primary cell culture, molecular biology, and imaging (including micro‑CT and marrow adipose tissue quantification) to understand how inflammatory and metabolic signals reshape the bone–bone marrow niche.
Beyond the lab, I have become deeply involved in the MMGE community as a student advocate. I joined the department’s Strategic Engagements Committee early in my program, co-led a book club, and helped establish a student engagement committee to strengthen connection and communication within the department. I also enjoyed organizing service-oriented activities, including coordinating our department’s Day of Service in 2024 with partners such as Goodwill and Gleaners, which brought together trainees, staff, and faculty from across MMGE to support the local community. Within the department, I serve on the board of the MMGE Student Government Organization (SGO), and at the school level I served as treasurer and board officer for the Biomedical Graduate School Advocacy Association (BGSAA) in 2023-25, where I help represent graduate student interests and support programming for professional development and community building. Outside of MMGE, I was a board member and Director of Monthly Events for Friends of Riley, a local non-profit established to support the Child Life Program at Riley Hospital for Children. Across these roles, I aim not only to contribute personally, but also to invite and motivate others to get involved and build a more connected, service‑focused graduate community.