I grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where I first became interested in rural issues, poverty, and human rights. My studies at Cornell University introduced me to Latin America and after graduation, I moved to New Orleans for graduate school in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. Two years of extreme poverty as a grad student influenced my decision to find "useful" employment (allegedly to pay down student loan debts), so I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and worked for a few years as a case-worker in a inner-city community center and with abused children. During this time I continued my fascination with Latin America. Through the diocese of Houston, I had the opportunity to travel to El Salvador as a member of a human rights delegation. My experiences there convinced me to follow my passion for Latin American studies and I returned to graduate school in Latin American history at the University of Texas at Austin.
One of the more discouraging things that I've heard female students discuss (in both Texas and Kentucky) is their conviction that they have a choice of either family or a career. As a committed feminist, I hope to dispel the idea that career and family are mutually exclusive choices. Although every person and family is different, I would like to encourage women and men that it is possible to balance family and work, and do well at both. Besides, as one of my favorite students told me--"Hey, I guess professors also need a life!"