So...You Want to Know More about Me?

Well, by clicking that little button on my main page, you have signified your interest in finding out who in the world I am. And that's a very good question. Sometimes I wonder if I even have an answer to that one...but I'll tell you what I do know...

For starters, I grew up in wild and wonderful Floyd County, Virginia. It's a nice place...secluded, small, rural...one of those places where everyone knows everyone else. It lies in Southwest Virginia near Virginia Tech. It's a gorgeous place to live with the Blue Ridge Parkway nearby...but it is quite quaint and its true country nature often shines through. For instance, every Friday night folks gather at Cockram's General Store for the famous "Friday Night Jamboree." It's a sight that defies description. Just imagine a crowd of people huddled together in a store while a blue grass band plays for all it's worth...get the idea?

In Floyd County, I attended Floyd County High School, home of the Buffaloes. FCHS is a small, rural high school with around 700 or 800 students. While at Floyd I did all the things that all good, sickeningly overachieving students do -- took all the advanced classes and participated in more extra-curricular activities than I can remember. It was an amusing 5 years (high school begins with the eighth grade since there aren't enough kids to justify a middle school).....but I wouldn't go back for a million dollars. Well, maybe for a hefty sum of money...I am a poor graduate student, after all....

After eighteen years in Floyd, it seemed like time to get out and see a bit more of the world. Thus, I found my way to Mr. Jefferson's wonderful university -- The University of Virginia. Four years later, I find that I learned a LOT of useless information but had a marvelous time doing it.

While at the university, I finally gave in and decided to major in psychology while completing a minor in mathematics. After taking so many classes in both departments, the choice became pretty obvious... Being very interested in research, I began working for the Virginia Adolescence Research Laboratory's KLIFF Project (Kids Lives, Families, and Friends) under the supervision of Dr. Joe Allen. I eventually joined the Distinguished Majors Program in psychology to work on an undergraduate honors thesis through this lab.

Life at the university wasn't all work and no play. While there, I was an active member in the University Christian Fellowship, the college group at the Rugby Avenue Church of Christ. This is one of the greatest groups of people you could ever hope to find. We hada lot of fun together wherever we happened to be - under any conditions... :)

With my natural interest in psychology, it didn't take too long for me to wander down to volunteer with the local student-run crisis intervention hotline under the supervision of Madison House. After 4 semesters of volunteering, I served as the Operations Program Director during my fourth year. If nothing else, working here definitely gives a unique perspective on parts of Charlottesville you may never have otherwise been exposed to...

In addition to all these other commitments, I was also an active sister of the Zeta Xi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. I know, I know...I never seemed like much of a sorority girl. In fact, I never would have believed I would join a sorority. However, all the girls at Zeta Xi are the best sisters I could find anywhere!

Once I graduated, received my degree, and successfully avoided the alumni association, etc. it was time to strike out in a new direction. So, I entered the clinical training program at the University of California - Los Angeles to earn my Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I'm still plugging away at this huge goal. I received my M.A. in psychology in December, 2002. Currently I'm working on my dissertation while getting clinical and teaching experience on the side. Hey, who knows....maybe I'll get to provide therapy for some up and coming new starlet.... Anything can happen in Los Angeles...