I caught the news bug early. 

I've been a reporter for more than half my life, since starting at my high school newspaper, Silver Chips, in Silver Spring, Md. That's where I grew up, inside the beltway - but only by about a block. While in college, I interned at the Knight-Ridder and McClatchy bureaus in Washington, D.C., as well as The Fresno Bee and The  Miami Herald.

Since graduating from Harvard University in 2009, I've worked as a reporter at The Charlotte Observer. Here, I've covered a variety of beats, including crime and breaking news, retail, corporate mergers and my current beat, real estate and economic development. It's a challenge keeping up with growth in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., but it means I have the opportunity to write about a wide range of subjects, from economic inequality and rising rent to the mechanics of tower cranes and the real-life impact of arcane zoning laws. 

Along the way, I've also covered riots that shook the city in the wake of a 2016 police shooting, the 2012 Democratic National Convention, bizarre and sometimes tragic crimes and the unlikely saga of a five-legged puppy rescued from a freak show on Coney Island.

I've won awards including 2016 First Place from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers for breaking news and the McClatchy President's Award for most outstanding coverage in our company.