About

Background | Work Experience | Acknowledgements

Background

Born in Dubuque, Iowa, and living in Minnesota for most of my childhood, I became interested in the study of ancient Mediterranean religions thanks to two major events: participation in an evangelical church community in high school, and stumbling into Ancient Greek to fulfill my college language requirement. Together, these set me off on the study of biblical and classical literature and eventually imbued an interest in exploring the legacies of violence in and around Christian history and literature.

I started at St. Olaf College (Minnesota) with a Bachelor of Arts and three majors: Religion, Classics, and Ancient Studies. From there, I moved to the east coast for a Master of Arts in Religion at Yale Divinity School, where I gained a love for Coptic and papyrology. Finally, I ended up at Harvard University for a PhD in the Committee on the Study of Religion, focusing on Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean with a secondary focus on Religion, Ethics, and Politics.

Beyond this, I sang in Tactus Ensemble, Georgetown Chorale, and Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, and organized in small ways for the Harvard Graduate Student Union, which now has their second contract.

In my free time, I enjoy singing, bell-ringing with the Lowell House Society of Russian Bell Ringers, cross-stitching, foraging, reading investigative journalism, and making doughnuts.

Work Experience

Over the years, I have worked in various corners of academic and university life.

As a PhD candidate, I have taught and assisted in teaching at Harvard Divinity School and Harvard College (General Education Program; History Department; Classics Department), at Northeastern University in the Philosophy and Religion and African American Studies Departments, and at Boston College in the Theology Department.

Alongside teaching experience, I have worked in various capacities with libraries, academic publishers, and museums. At Yale University, I functioned as a circulation assistant at the Yale Divinity School Library and a processing and cataloging assistant at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. At the latter, I worked primarily to catalog Coptic manuscripts, Ge’ez scrolls, and the Lafayette and Ben Franklin collections. I have also worked as an editorial assistant for the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library (Harvard University Press) in the publication of Byzantine Greek, medieval Latin, and Old English volumes, as well as with Harvard Theological Review as part of the production staff. Beyond these, I have interned as a research assistant at the Harvard Art Museums in the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, particularly supporting the Egyptian gallery.

I have also spent many years working in college residential life—most extensively as a First-Year Proctor in Harvard Yard and a Residential Tutor at Lowell House in Harvard College. In these positions, I have acted as primary academic advisor to dozens of students and participate deeply in undergraduate life. I have also served in a Non-Residential Tutor position at Harvard and as a Junior Counselor at St. Olaf.

Other forms of employment aren’t part of the academic repertoire, but were important to my formation: selling Yankee candles and kitsch at the Market on Oak, making Blizzards at Dairy Queen, baling hay, landscaping, being a summer janitor at elementary and middle schools, security and bouncing for undergraduate and graduate student bars and clubs.

Acknowledgements

No graduate decree or academic career occurs in a bubble. I have been extremely lucky to have a range of mentors, peers, and students support me with my research and teaching.