I was born and raised in Metro Detroit. I am the second child of three, with an older brother and younger sister.
As a young child, I was not very graceful or coordinated, so my mom enrolled me in dance when I was three to work on those motor skills. Preschool and dance started at the same time for me, where I met my best friend to this day. I have dabbled in sports throughout my life and love being physically active. Music has been incredibly vital to me from the time I was taking dance at three, and maybe before then. Whether it was church or school musicals in high school, choirs from middle school into college, or worship leading today, music has been an outlet for me to express myself, know myself, and mold myself. It is not uncommon for me to "think in song" - communicate or find the words or emotions that evict more of the fullness of a moment better than if words were found without the musicality coinciding with it. Music is as much a part of me as my heartbeat. I am normally dancing and/ or singing 95% of the time. You may wish that was an exaggeration.
Education: I had the privilege of going to a public school with a lot of opportunity included. I have never taken that for granted. I took my education very seriously from a young age - loving the learning.... and the accolades of good grades and a project well thought out and executed. My passion for learning has continued into today. I like to believe that each day I have the potential to have grown from the previous day. I started college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, my time there grew me both academically and personally. In between semesters my sophomore year, I transferred, though from U of M to Clemson University in South Carolina. The change came about through a transformative summer in the Appalachian Mountains, a lot of prayer, and an incredibly direct word from God. Of any part of life that has shaped me, my years in South Carolina did the most, as those are the years I came to intimately know God. From literally my first moment in Clemson, I felt at home. It was surreal. I had always loved Michigan, but this was home. I finally understood how people's hearts get so attached to where they go to school. I studied Writing and Publication Studies at Clemson with a minor in Psychology. I also got very involved in leadership and volunteering with ministries and churches throughout Clemson and in Greenville, SC. What the Lord did in my life and healed in my heart through my time in South Carolina will continue to define my identity for the rest of my life.
After attending a ministry school in Mozambique in the fall of 2013 (see Pemba), I moved back to Michigan in the fall of 2014 to chase after the dreams the Lord had set in my heart. Little did I know all that he had planned for me when I said, "Yes," to Him again - this time, in moving back to Michigan, back home. In December 2015, I met my now husband. He and I began dating in January 2015; we married in October 2015. The adventures of life are so fulfilling. We really live a life written by the best Author, and as both Martin and I were English majors, our appreciation for His story is without measure in our lives.