I earned a MA degree in English from Jacksonville State University in 1996. As I worked through the program, I became curious about the history behind the literature being studied. That led to earning a MA degree in American History/Cherokee Studies from Western Carolina University in 2002. I taught English at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota from 2002-2003 and then entered the doctoral program at Arizona State University. I completed my doctoral dissertation in 2009 and earned a Ph.D. in American History (Native American and Environmental History specialties). In my scholarship, I published my first book in 2023, a biography on Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma from 1985-1995, entitled Wilma Mankiller: A Life in American History. I just signed a second book contract with Bloomsbury Press to write a biography on Maria Tallchief, entitled, Maria Tallchief: From Osage Nation Dancer to Cold War Prima Ballerina, scheduled for a January 2026 release date.