My journey into law was unconventional.  Beginning with an undergraduate degree in English and Philosophy, I was most intrigued by early American literature and how it worked to construct the “American” identity.  Continuing this line of study with my graduate research, I examined the way political and legal rhetoric has framed and continues to frame national identity and citizenship.  I then engaged with these research interests in my study of law, where I focused on the law’s construction of citizenship and its intersection with environmental justice and land use issues.  Now, I use this multifaceted background in the way I approach every legal issue: by analyzing any issue from a variety of perspectives and creatively engaging in finding a solution.