When I'm not doing schoolwork, I'm painting, playing with my cats, or trying out new restaurants in Ann Arbor! I'm a double-major in linguistics and French, which has led me to study abroad twice in France. I'm also on the Art Team of a school magazine and have been involved in projects within the Linguistics Department, so I'm familiar with both the student organization​/​extracurricular scene, as well as the academic research one. I've mostly lived off-campus, but I spent my freshman year in Bursley Hall on North Campus.

Hometown

Mundelein, IL, USA

Major(s)

Linguistics, French

Clubs, organizations & involvement

I currently hold a research assistant position in the Linguistics Department, have participated in an independent-study class where I taught English to French-speaking immigrants, am on the Art Team for What The F (student magazine), used to be in the Linguistics Club, frequent the French coffee hour and Pause Café, and have spent a summer in Paris and a semester in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Describe your college experience

I found that the transition to academics came a lot more easily than the transition to the social aspect of college. Classes are certainly more work, but it's a necessity to acquire better time-management skills to accommodate that, whereas, finding social groups is done through less straight-forward paths. I have slowly found friends through shared interests (classes) and finally applied to a student organization my junior year, where I found a better sense of community. Housing plays a big part too. Living in a dorm (especially after having grown up as an only child) and living in my first series of apartments away from home have been nothing short of interesting experiences, which I've had to learn how to best handle.

Tip for future students

Apply to off-campus housing early, try to get to know future roommates a bit before living with them, and join clubs!

Favorite class

MIDEAST 243 "Ancient Egypt and its World" with Katherine Davis. I took this class to satisfy general humanities requirements my first semester, freshman year. I've always thought the ancient world was interesting, but oh my god, this class was spectacular! There was one singular day during lecture that I was uninterested (the class was on how Ancient Egyptians did math), but in every other class, I was engaged. Even when studying for the exams, while it was a lot of work to make sure I knew all the fine details, I enjoyed the process (that has since never happened). If you like Ancient Egypt in the slightest or the ancient world in general, I highly recommend taking this class.

Career goals

After I graduate in May 2026, I plan to teach English for a year in France and then pursue my masters in speech pathology when I return to the States.

Ideal way to spend a free night

I have two answers. Freshmen year me would say: eat dinner at the dining hall (and pray that it's good food), then spend 1-2 hours casually doing my makeup in my dorm room, meet up with friends in another dorm and hang out while listening to music before heading on the bus down to Central Campus to spend the night at Cantina. Incoming senior year, off-campus me would say: get all my work done, watch an episode or two of a show (or play some video games), and then meet my boyfriend for dinner at Chapala where he'd order the birria tacos and a margarita and I'd order either the chimichanga, enchiladas, or fajitas mixtas.

High school or secondary school

Mundelein Cons. High School, Mundelein, IL, USA

Previous college

I've always been a student at the University of Michigan, but I've recently (Summer 2025) taken summer classes through Washtenaw Community College, which has been a great experience. My class was very diverse in terms of ages, but we all got along well and I genuinely really enjoyed the experience. It was fun without the stress that often comes from U-M classes.