I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. My father was a Track & Field coach and I grew up attending meets, raking jump pits, and moving blocks. I loved running from a very early age. I started competing in Cross Country in 4th grade. AS high school started, I began to really take it seriously and wanted to make it my main sport (I competed in volleyball, tennis, and basketball also). In high school, I earned All State Honors 3 times in Cross Country and Track & Field. My Senior year of high school, I set my school 3200 record and it stood for 19 years before it was broken in 2019. In college, I ran for the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana. I competed in Big ten Championships and received the "Big Heart" Award one year. After I graduated, I returned to my high school, Waubonsie Valley HS, in Aurora, IL and took over the Cross Country program from my old high school coach and worked alongside my father as a Track & Field coach. I worked in that system for 7.5 years before my family moved to Birmingham, AL. The first year I lived here, I volunteered for Spain Park Cross Country and Track. Then, came back permanently in 2016 to teach and coach for the Jaguars.
