I am a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Sociology.  I have lived in Atlanta since 2006, when I settled in Kirkwood with my future spouse.  My previous work experiences include being a Program Director for the City of Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center from 2007-2010 and a sales representative for a small chemical firm, CedarChem, from 2010-2013.

My interest in Heritage Preservation began when I was working for Norcross.  Two events really garnered my attention: the renovation of our building, a former church built in 1875, and our efforts to begin a History Center for the city.  I left the job in 2010 for the private sector, but shortly realized that my heart was not in my current work.  In the spring of 2013 I decided to apply to the HP program, and began that following August.  I am following the Preservation tract in the program, but have an interest in public history as well and am making an effort to have a knowledge in both.  My experiences in heritage preservation include working with Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate, researching the history of the Atlanta Daily World building on Auburn Avenue, and most recently as an intern with the Southern Music Foundation.

My initial thoughts on digital history are complicated.  I believe that the access that it provides to the public as well as the possibility of having an interactive experience are a few of its more intriguing attributes.  There also seems to be a rise in the amount of interest in history as it becomes more accessible.  But I also have some hesitations.  With more access, both in terms of content availability and user generated interpretations, comes the possibility for issues in how the history is presented by novices and enthusiast.  There are also issues of who owns the history, and whether should it be available to all people.

For the Atlanta Rail Corridor Site, I will be focusing on the four extant high schools located along the Beltline, Washington, Carver, Maynard Jackson and Grady, and gathering information on the schools architecture and looking at how the schools have fit into the city from a planning perspective.