While I was not a first-generation college student myself, the struggles I experienced during my college years pushed me into getting my Masters in College Student Personnel with an emphasis in College Student Affairs. Growing up in rural Minnesota outside of a town of less than 200 people, moving away for college and having to find my group of people outside a safety net I knew for 18 years of my life was difficult. Having no one at my university to turn to was isolating and caused me to struggle my first year a lot more than I would have otherwise. Once I was able to find a mentor within my sorority things got much easier. Mentoring has played a crucial role from that first experience with my sorority but even through today with mentors I've gained along the way. Through not just my own experiences but through working with students during my graduate program, I've seen first-hand the impact that mentors can make for not just all students, but first-generation students specifically. Aside from a background in Student Affairs, I have a background in Counseling, working as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor for a few years. Outside of work, I like to spend my time trying out new coffee shops, reading, watching documentaries, listening to true crime podcasts and Taylor Swift, watching the Green Bay Packers, and playing with my two cats Raven and George.