I am a PhD student in Jazz Studies.  My Masters thesis, "Paris Impressions: Critics and Gimmicks in the Art World of Erroll Garner, 1957-1958," allowed me to explore the University of Pittsburgh’s rich archival material that was gifted in 2015 by the estate of his long-time manager, Martha Glaser.  Thanks to the generous awards that I received from the Helen Pool Rush Scholarship, the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Summer Fellowship and the Bessie Pearl Snyder Music Legacy Fund, I had the privilege of accompanying the late Director of Jazz Studies, Professor Geri Allen, on a two-week European tour with Enrico Rava in May of 2017. The trip had a profound impact that continues to motivate me personally and academically.  I have also been nominated to serve as the mentor for other Teaching Assistants in the University of Pittsburgh’s Music Department for the 2017-2018 school year.   In 2014, I completed an Artist’s Diploma in Jazz Piano under the tutelage of Alessandro Giachero from Fondazione Siena Jazz. I have been involved in a number of projects in the Pittsburgh community including teaching summer camps at the Afro-American Music Institute and the Carnegie Boys and Girls Club, composing and producing the music for Jumping Jack Theater’s sensory-friendly Light Princess, as well as the music for two Carnegie Stage productions, Pyschosis 4.48 and Eff.Ul.Gents. I have collaborated on recordings with Richie Cole, Rebecca Covert, as well as The Blue Hots, and I performed in Pittsburgh’s 2nd Annual Piano Day in August 2017.  I have presented my research at the New Directions in the Humanities Conference in London, U.K. and the Society for Ethnomusicology NIAGARA Chapter in Brockport, New York. Prior to following my passion for music, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Marketing from Duquesne University and spent four years working in the financial sector.