Born and raised in Ohio, I attended The University of Akron from 2001-2006. When not spending my time on the golf course, I worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Mathematics. I grew curious about my students’ mathematical thinking when teaching as part of the assistantship duties. This curiosity landed me in the sunny state of Arizona at Arizona State University under the guidance of Professor Marilyn P. Carlson. I immediately grew interested in the constructivist movement in mathematics education, and specifically the ability to take a scientific-inquiry approach to modeling students’ mathematical thinking that aligned with my applied mathematics/physics background. Since this initial interest, I have situated myself with other researchers who participate in this progressive research program in the hopes of better understanding students’ mathematical thinking, improving the teaching and learning of mathematics, and opposing outcome-based forces in education.