I am an acupuncture student at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, as well as a lactation student with the OHSU/ PSU School of Health. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Portland State University.
I have worked in lactation for Northwest Mothers Milk Bank for 5+ years, starting as a volunteer. I haven’t worked there much since starting school, but I hope to coordinate with them after graduating to bring acupuncture to the table of normal lactation care. My senior capstone at Portland State was in current issues in pregnancy and birth, which is where I learned about milk banking, and began my interest in lactation and postpartum care.
I grew up in Portland, and have lived here most of my life, except for a couple of short stints in Hawaii and one in San Francisco. I discovered the transformative powers of acupuncture after I was hit by a car while riding my bike in 2011. The acupuncture treatments were the only thing that really helped me during that time, and that changed the course of my life more than I could have expected. Despite having a big interest in medicine from a young age, I didn’t realize that I wanted to be an acupuncturist until years later on a trip to China where I spent a day in a Chinese medicine school. I didn’t want to leave the school that day, and when I arrived home, I began searching for schools to study Chinese medicine. I feel so fortunate that such an amazing school of Chinese medicine just happened to be in my home town.
Prior to graduate school, I loved to travel. I’ve been to Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, China, South Africa, and Mozambique. These days my hobbies are more simple. When I’m not studying, I like to hike, camp, eat great food, and spend time with my family.