Meaning grit, passion and tenacity, 'sisu' is a Finnish word that's at the core of everything I do.

 

I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with strong Finnish heritage and small-town pride; and when I say small, I mean small. I graduated with a class of 21 students and lived over an hour away from the nearest town big enough to have a Walmart.

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Living in such a rural and low-income area, there weren't many outlets for creativity; so I found other ways to bring all my weird ideas to life.

 

I dragged costumes, props and a tripod into the woods for self-portraits, designed free brochures for local businesses and took cheap family photos to save up for better camera equipment.

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I was lucky enough to earn a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State University in 2016, and set out on a mission to use creativity to change the world. I've since lead over six projects to help nonprofits with their communications and marketing, promoted Michigan's state parks, and helped community health researchers share public health data through infographics and social media.

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Now, I'm looking for new opportunities to help public agencies, nonprofits and small businesses tell their story and meet their goals. I know any challenge can be overcome with lots of creativity, and a bit of sisu.