My Story

Growing up in a military family means Resilience, but it also means being very accustomed to change. As you may know, it is standard practice for the military to relocate every two to three years. As a young girl preparing to start middle school in Nashville, my family thought it was important to connect with the community through volunteer work, and this quickly sparked a love for it in me as well.

Every Friday from May through October, we would be helping set up and take down the HipDonelson Farmer’s Market. A market that grew from only a handful of vendors to being voted one of the top farmers’ markets in Nashville, and remains a must-visit every chance I get.

Through my involvement with Nashville Cat Rescue (NCR), where my family and I volunteered and fostered cats/ kittens for years, I began working at one of their partner adoption centers. After graduating from high school in 2020, I started as an Adoption counselor at The Catio Cat Lounge (also known as The Catio). As the COVID-19 shutdown changed everyone’s lives, it had a profound impact on the cats.

We had to learn quickly how to bring the cats to the people who would normally come to The Catio to visit. As a driving factor in businesses' social media usage, quarantines and remote work also spiked adoption rates for rescues. Social media posts and live videos became a way to showcase the cats’ personalities and encourage visits and adoptions. Especially to those who had considered adopting for some time and suddenly had more time at home to accommodate. While managing Instagram and Facebook for The Catio was a small part of my duties, it introduced me to the importance of social media practices and event promotion for successful community outreach.

As the shutdown began to subside, we were able to resume events at the Catio. We started hosting as many events as possible to bring interaction back to the cats. From hosting events such as yoga, bingo, yard sales benefiting the rescue to private gatherings and daily operational hours, our small team of four managed to adopt out around 2,000 cats/ kittens during my time there.

When I moved to Murfreesboro, TN, to study at Middle Tennessee State University, I began working at Priority Staffing Group, where I served as event catering staff in various locations for approximately a year. At PSG, I discovered the joys and challenges of working events with a guest list of around 100 - 200.

Beginning my junior year, I joined Advantage Marketing Solutions as part of the Nashville Brand Execution Team, initially serving as a Brand Ambassador and later advancing to a Team Lead role. In these positions, I ensured the execution of on-site brand activations, including product samplings, sponsorship events, and account promotions, while engaging directly with consumers to deliver key brand messaging. As a Team Lead, I assisted with mentoring team members, ensuring accurate brand representation and compliance, and reporting post-event insights—strengthening my understanding of brand positioning, consumer behavior, and effective promotional strategy.

During my Senior year, I interned for Vanderbilt University’s Athletics Marketing department. As a Marketing Intern, I supported the planning and execution of game-day promotions and fan engagement initiatives across multiple athletic events. I assisted with coordinating pre-game and in-game promotions, prepared marketing materials, and engaged directly with fans to enhance the overall event experience. Through this role, I gained hands-on experience in grassroots marketing, event logistics, and cross-team collaboration, contributing to the success of high-energy athletic events.

Currently, I am gaining valuable experience in member engagement and financial services as a Teller at Redstone Federal Credit Union. I am passionate about community involvement, and working at Redstone allows me to participate in the Adopt-A-School and Interscholastic Star Club programs, which promote financial literacy and help build lifelong savings habits among students at our partner schools.