BY

during my junior year as an undergraduate. Many educators helped me get here, but without the mentoring of professors Hugh Hillhouse and Doraiswami Ramkrishna at Purdue University, I may have never had this opportunity. When graduate school began, I was blown away. It was terrifying and thrilling, and I was honored to study in the presence of such skillful peers and professors. I still feel that way, and think I always shall. For that feeling, I have to thank my classmates and my teachers. My advisors were obviously central players in my graduate school experience. They have been educators, coaches, friends, and arch-nemeses. I have deep appreciation the time and resources they have invested in my education. Mike and Marc have distinct personalities and teaching styles, yet have equally high expectations. It has been a pleasure to study under them both. Indeed, I consider myself fortunate to have participated in a program that condones coadvised research. I am going to miss working with them, but they will both remain inspirations to me as I proceed with my career. I also would like to thank Barbara Schwartz and Jöen Synder-O’Neil. They were my teachers outside of school, and provided me with the tools I needed to manage my mental and physica