Personal

I started training Aikido and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu in November of 2013 at USA Martial Arts in Toledo, Ohio. I now train at Uppsala Aikido in Uppsala, Sweden. I hold the rank of Shodan (first degree black belt) in Aikido, and a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu. I love martial arts, and my dojo family are amazing people. Learning and teaching martial arts has taught me many important lessons, and has made me better at teaching science.

I've been playing guitar and singing in choir for most of my life. I'm not an expert, but I really enjoy making music, and sharing that music with others. I love to dance, especially ballroom dance! I learned ballroom dancing at The Ballroom Company in Toledo, OH. Dancing is a great artistic outlet, and its also a really fun way to meet new people.

I love animals. I have a cat named Loki, who I adopted from a cat rescue called Planned Pethood. He loves being around people, loves being petted, always interrupts my zoom meetings, and, as his name suggests, gets into everything.

I grew up in a family where many of our most important traditions revolved around cooking together. As a result, I love to cook, and bake, and I love sharing my cooking and baking with others. I also love to sew, and make my own costumes for cosplay. Among my favorite ones I've made are a Jedi Costume, and a Hermione Granger costume. I also knit. I'm new at it, but it's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying learning.

I also love to travel and explore new places. I've lived abroad in two different countries (Sweden and South Africa) and have traveled to five different continents, and all around the USA. Its really fun to learn new languages and explore new cultures. I also love hiking. Especially after a long week at work, nothing beats getting outside and exploring the mountains or the forests.