I am a proudly born and bred Kentuckian who loves the pursuit of knowledge and the application of economics to everyday life. I am the youngest of 4 children and the first in family to earn a degree or attend college at all. I grew up in rural Crittenden County in western KY where my formative years were consumed with athletic competitions, academics, and outdoor pursuits. After graduating high school I set my sights on a college degree but like many I was unsure what course of study I would pursue so I enrolled in a local community college to complete my basic course work. After my first semester of college life through me a curve ball and a car accident left me a paraplegic. While my injury has forever shaped the way I view the world it has never defined who I am as a person or what I am doing with my life.
Following my injury I originally planned to earn a degree in Engineering from the University of Kentucky extension campus near my hometown. I enjoyed the engineering classes but I always had an interest in economics and decided to take an economics course as an elective. After the first month of classes I knew that economics was for me and decided that I would change my major and transfer to Murray State University to pursue a degree in economics. Since my first economics course I have had an insatiable appetite for all things economics (especially books, blogs, and podcast).
While at MSU I was presented with an amazing opportunity to do undergraduate research with the McNair Scholars Program. I can honestly say the McNair program changed my life and set me on the path towards a Ph.D. I graduated from MSU with honors from MSU in the Spring of 2011. In the Fall of 2011 I began my graduate work in economics here at the University of Kentucky where I am a Lyman T. Johnson fellow as well as a teaching assistant. I am currently working towards the dissertation stage of my studies and I have an expected graduation date of Summer 2017.
