How I became interested in my area of study/research/discipline:
I became interested in psychology because I love to hear people’s life stories; I enjoy listening to their experiences and assisting them in their life struggles. I became interested in positive psychology specifically because I believe that individual strengths and assets can assist people in overcoming their life struggles. Growing up, my parents always maximized on my strengths, teaching me to follow those talents; I think much good can come from doing this.

An honor, achievement or accomplishment is most meaningful to me:
Positive psychology fellow: This accomplishment is important to me because the people within the positive psychology movement are innovators within the field and I respect their scholarly contributions immensely. Many of them, including my advisor, Shane Lopez, have been professional and personal mentors to me, so to be recognized by this organization is a great honor.

Someone I admire:
I really admire my husband. He lives his life with honesty and sensitivity, and challenges himself to be the best person he can be. He does all this with a light heart, not taking life or himself too seriously. He has taught me a great deal about the importance of truly experiencing life.

Someone who has been influential or had a significant impact on my life:
The person who has been influenced my life the most, my role model, is my mother. She has taught me about compassion, love, humor, integrity, kindness, and intellect. She taught me that love is the most important and sacred gift we can give. She is my model of what it means to be a woman, a mother, a wife, a friend. If I am fortunate enough to be ½ the person she is, I will feel as if I am a success in life.

My most favorite memory as a graduate student at KU:
When I first arrived on campus, I explored the University. I walked down Jayhawk Blvd. and I traveled to the campanile and sat by Potter’s Lake. It was summer and the day was beautiful. I sat on the hill and looked around at the campus; I had a wonderful feeling of peace inside of me. I thought to myself, this feels like home.

An important life lesson I have learned:
That life is about touching other people in a positive way; not about money or fame, but rather about being a positive influence in the lives of others.

A favorite quote or saying:

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

This quote helps me to remember to really live. I believe in our world we spend so much time looking back or preparing for the future that we miss the life that is happening now. If we stop and truly experience the present, I believe we will truly live.

My hopes for the world:
We seek to understand others; we practice patience and kindness towards one another; we exercise integrity in our pursuits