A Midwesterner at heart, I graduated from the University of Iowa in May 2001 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and art. At 22, I moved to Washington, D.C., where I quickly learned the science of small-talk and networking.

I joined the online team at USA TODAY in October 2001 where I produced content for 9/11, global terror-related issues, the war in Iraq and the 2004 campaign and election. While in D.C., I also taught at American University as an adjunct professor in the School of Communication, and worked part-time for The Fund for American Studies, a non-profit organization that partners with Georgetown University.

After more than four years in the nation's capital, I left in August 2005 for the media capital of the world - New York City - where I attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. I graduated from Columbia in May 2006, receiving a M.S. in journalism with a concentration in new media.

I learned that if anything screams "Go West," it's living in New York City. So I left The Big Apple for Latte Land (aka Seattle) in June 2006. The air was fresh; the rain - just a myth. And the life of a coffee lover could not be better.

For the first four months in Seattle, I worked for MSNBC.com until I was re-hired by USA TODAY in October 2006 to work remotely from Seattle. (Think Wi-Fi and 1,408 coffee shops. That's right; there are 2.5 coffee shops for every 1,000 people in Seattle!)

I like to think of the year after graduate school in the Pacific Northwest as an extension of my graduate study - it gave me time to reflect, time to refine my goals and time to think forward. (Believe it or not, there is no time to think in a 10-month graduate program!)

In August 2007, I joined the online staff at the Chicago Tribune. I was always told how local news experience is invaluable, and I can now say I have a deep appreciation for its skill set. From Barack Obama's campaign and election to the Rod Blagojevich shakedown, it's needless to say I had an exciting three and a half years working in Chicagoland news.

But I always yearned to go back east.

Alongside the Potomac, inside the Watergate, the National Journal relaunched their online operations in late 2010. I didn't have a graduate degree in government or an expertise in politics, but there was someone there who I'd always wanted to work for, and little did I know, he wanted me to work for him.

In Janaury 2011, I joined National Journal as the assistant digital editor to help build online strategies for free and subscriber-based audiences, all while learning as much as possible about U.S. politics and policy. The NJ energy is uplifting, and the talent ... impressive. Afterall, this is D.C., and this is "home."

While my professional passion is digital journalism, my personal passions include finding new coffee shops, tasting new wines, cooking new recipes, trying new restaurants, and exploring the globe.