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I was born in Grand Junction, Colorado to a conservative Protestant family. My
upbringing was quite religious but varied somewhat, as it shifted from Baptist
in my childhood to non-denominational in my adolescence. I acquired my BA at
Colorado State University in History, where I took a number of courses on the
Middle East. Currently, I am in my third year of a joint MA/PhD program at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, studying the modern history of the
Middle East under Nancy Gallagher. My academic interests include
colonialism/imperialism, nationalist movements, human rights and women's
history. After my participation in "The Quest" documentary, however, I have
focused on Israel-Palestine in my studies; now the roles and perspectives of
Palestinian and Jewish women during the British Mandate period are my primary
topics of research.
I first became passionate about other cultures and travel abroad when I became a
Rotary exchange student in Hong Kong during my junior year of high school.
After that year I could not learn enough about the rest of the world. One
summer during college I explored parts of Europe, and upon graduation I taught
English in Thailand for several months. Most recently, my travels have extended
to countries in the Middle East, including (apart from "The Quest") a summer in
Syria to study Arabic, participation in a student delegation in Kuwait, as well
as trips to Jordan and Lebanon. I will also be studying Arabic in Cairo this
summer. My other interests include tennis, hiking, volleyball, skiing and
reading.
I have wanted to be a history professor for several years-since my first day in
an undergraduate world history course. However, knowing the realities of
acquiring a job in academia, I am open to working in other fields upon
obtaining my PhD. In fact, one of my dream jobs is a position in an
international human rights organization or for a services-oriented organization
such as UNRWA.
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