I am a gender-based violence specialist and co-founder of Emerge Community Empowerment, a non-profit improving the capacities of women and girls in Chicago homeless shelters and low-income neighborhoods. I am also a first-year doctoral candidate at National Louis University, working toward a Ph.D. in Community Psychology. My research interests are gender, violence prevention and response, and policy and advocacy. I hope to gain the skills and resources to become a more successful leader.