I grew up in the small town of Susanville, CA and the Lassen National Forest has always been home for me. I received my BS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2014 and my summers in between college were spent working in Ecology for the Forest Service on the Lassen. My passion for understanding natural processes quickly grew as I gained a deeper understanding of forest structure, ecological relationships and species services. I continued working for the Forest Service in between my undergrad and starting my masters. The most influential experiences for me included aspen and meadow restoration, monitoring the effects of prescribed fire and timber removal, and managing post wildfire landscapes. I found a perfect fit with ecology as I saw the need for understanding intraspecific and interspecific relationships that are crucial for effective land management. My research interests include landscape ecology, fire ecology and ecological restoration. My research at Humboldt involves the expansion of aspen stands after disturbance. I am looking at the rate of expansion of aspen in the Sierra Nevada after different fire intervals. I hope to help gain a better understanding of the role that fire frequency plays in aspen for future management.