My primary roles are the garden/property manager and leading community engagement. Over the course of May 2024 - May 2025, I worked to secure a $47,000 grant through Louisville Grows via Tito's Vodka. I was the primary manager of the entire project. I lead an inclusive planning process, created renderings to-scale on SketchUp for our rebuild day, tracked financial spending and reporting, and was the head point person for Louisville Grows and Tito's Vodka.

Through this grant, we replaced five small community beds (150 sq ft) with a new 129-foot-long planting strip around the garden for community harvesting. This new perimeter bed gives us 441 sq ft of growing space — nearly triple what we had before. In addition, we increased our rented beds from 25 to 38. The grant secured everyones bed fees this year in addition to all the starters for personal + community beds. This experience has been highlight of my community work!

The KALA mission is to recognize, develop, and empower early-career agribusiness and food systems professionals and others for effective leadership in their organization and community.

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In this leadership program I have been able to connect with farmers, producers, buyers and everything in-between (economists, CEOs, data analysts, etc.) to better understand the Kentucky agriculture and agribusiness landscape. 

To pair with my involvement in the Shelby Park Community Garden, I am taking this Master Gardener Certification Program to learn how to be the best urban and community gardener I can be. Through this program I am taking 12 weeks of classes followed by volunteer service hours and 10 additional hands on training opportunities at approved project sites within the Jefferson County Extension Office.

Served as the Communications Director for Kentucky Young Democrats as well as a board member to the organization. I helped write copy, create graphics and content for social media, as well as helped with communications strategy for reaching bigger demographics in Kentucky state politics. 

In the fall of 2023, I was a part of the Lucille Leggett Neighborhood Institute, a program by the Center For Neighborhoods nonprofit. We meet weekly and go over topics like land use issues, code enforcement, neighborhood quality of life, working with public officials, planning and zoning, local government agencies, strategic planning and I get to work on a community project so I can better use what I learn to really make a difference where I live.

NLC is s an inclusive leadership development program equipping bright individuals with the skills, network, and confidence they need to champion progress. 

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For 6 months, I spent one weekend in a different part of the state where I got to meet and ask questions to local community leaders. These conversations helped me learn about their unique set of challenges, and better understand their solutions and efforts to make change.​

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Capstone Project: How to improve digital communication for Louisville Metro Government to help break the political language barriers that often keeps communities disconnected from the changes that are happening in their neighborhoods.

I became involved with my Neighborhood Association through my previous job at Louisville Vegan Jerky Company (LVJCO). In 2020, LVJCO was in the process of finding a new and permanent headquarters. We found a building that had been abandoned many years ago in Shelby Park, the neighborhood I moved into the year prior. 

I became the liaison and helped organize a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between SPNA and LVJCO. A part of the CBA was to donate $10,000 to the SPNA and help hire within the neighborhood.

I am an SPNA advocate for 2-way conversions of main streets running through the neighborhood, and tree planting to reverse Louisville's urban heat island.

As a digital artist, I collaborated with Hester Street, Kale & Flax, and UberGreen Spaces & Homes on a placekeeping initiative at Jefferson Community + Technical College (JCTC). The project aimed to activate campus spaces, inspire creativity, and foster community connections and belonging as JCTC implemented a new campus Master Plan. The initiative involved diverse stakeholders, including students, faculty, local artists, community-based partners, local businesses, residents, unhoused individuals, and Louisville Metro Government.

Our efforts focused on showcasing student talent and creating spaces for students and the community to work, gather, and play along JCTC's First Street corridor. This initiative allowed JCTC to lead in testing and piloting innovation, benefitting the college and the entire Louisville community. I won an artist grant for this project. 

The 27 Campaign Resource Guide, created in response to community outcry over representation in businesses throughout the state, clearly outlines best practices and procedures to create a more racially just and responsible company.

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As a part of the 27 Campaign, I also designed a T-shirt where the proceeds were Companies need to step up and bring about the transformational change that communities and customers are demanding. By participating in the 27 Campaign you are making a strong statement against racism in support of greater equity and justice for your Black employees and business businesses.

I was in a car wreck in 2008 due to texting and driving, which led me to submitting my story to Seventeen Magazine later that year. My story was a feature article in a summer 2009 issue of Seventeen Magazine. 

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I was invited by Seventeen Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket to speak on a panel in front of senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, private sector representatives and academic professors to encourage the passing of texting and driving laws. I continued to use my voice to speak at state and city levels, including advocating with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's “Distracted Driving is Deadly Driving” campaign.