All my life, I’ve strived for balance. I was lucky enough to discover a sport that I loved at a young age that propelled me towards a unique career path that combines my creative and analytical interests.
I graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a double major in Economics and Business and minor in Math. At the same time, there were some exciting opportunities calling for me in the slackline performance world. At the time of graduating, I was torn between a data analyst offer in Seattle and the chance to pursue slacklining full time. I decided to take advantage of my athletic skills while I could, always keeping my interest in data and statistics in the back of my mind.
Cirque Du Soleil + Royal Caribbean
My performance career started with a short show in Sochi, Russia for Cirque Du Soleil (would you take a look at that makeup!) With a team of 2 other slackliners, we performed over a number of nights for the opening of the Sochi Olympic Theme Park, following the 2014 Olympic Games.
Shortly after graduating from college, I got the call from Royal Caribbean offering me a full-time performing position on one of their cruise ships: Harmony of the Seas. They gave me 24 hours to decide to take the position or not. After a quick call to my parents to explain I was joining the circus, I took the job.
The Trickline Collective
Having performed full-time for over a year, I started to want more flexibility and autonomy in my career path, and living on a cruise ship didn’t quite offer that flexibility. Thus, I started my own slackline performance company, aptly named “The Trickline Collective”.
I transitioned from performer to choreographer for Royal Caribbean, and for the next 2 years the Trickline Collective traveled nationally and internationally delivering slackline performances at corporate banquets, outdoor festivals, and even a wedding in India. Managing my own business meant learning a little about everything: sales, marketing, contract negotiation, website design, and most importantly, the leadership skills necessary to wrangle a group of hippies into doing what I wanted.
An important piece of the Trickline Collective was also film production. I saw a niche within slacklining that needed to be filled: a full-length film telling the story of the slackline community and the disciplines within. To see some of the films that I have produced, check out the Films page.
Master’s in Business Analytics
While I was pursuing my slackline career, there was always a piece of me that wanted to follow a data science path. When shows started slowing down in early 2020, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to move to Austin, Texas and improve upon the statistical and data management skills I had started to build in my undergrad program by getting a Master’s degree in Business Analytics from the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin.
During my time in Austin, I gained valuable experience in machine learning, data management, text analytics, optimization, and marketing analytics that I had always looked forward to. For my capstone project, my team consulted with a client in the technology industry to build a machine learning model to predict the probability of a customer contract being won for that client. It was an excellent way to put my newfound skills to use to design a system that has actually been put to use at our client’s company to improve sales efficiency and utilization rates for salespeople.
To see some of my work in the data science realm, check out my github.
Bringing it All Together
I’ve suddenly found myself in a position with a unique set of experiences. These past few years of slacklining experience have given me an idea of what it’s like to develop a marketing strategy, manage a brand, and essentially tie all of the pieces of a business together. In addition, I now have a more technical base data science and its tenets.
Now I’m excited to see where this unique combination of skills can lead me. Whether it’s seeking to improve outdoor access for underrepresented groups or extend a product’s foothold in the adventure sports market, I’m excited to bring my analytical and creative tools together to contribute to causes I care about.