A born-and-raised North Carolinian, Natalie graduated summa cum laude from UNC Greensboro in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Biology. Over the next five years, she worked as a research assistant on a longitudinal study of early socioemotional and neurological development at UNC Chapel Hill. Working closely with participating families from her community inspired her decision to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree. Her interests include expanding access to equitable education and resources for low-income families. In her free time, Natalie enjoys baking, seeing live music, and watching documentaries (especially true crime).