Add to ORKGI first want to thank my partner Ryan, for pushing me to leave the small town I had always lived in, in order to do bigger and better things with my life. I want to also thank my family for being so confident in me, and always providing words of encouragement. My friends, for putting up with my craziness during this whole thing, specifically Laurel, I don’t think I would have made it out of this “sanely” without her. A huge thanks goes out to Dr. Phyllis Rippeyoung who was there for me as my supervisor, and friend. I would also like to thank Dr. Mireille McLaughlin, who helped me push through the final steps, as well as Dr. Willow Scobie and Dr. Kathleen Rodgers for their helpful input. ii