I graduated with my MA in linguistics in Spring 2024 and previously received my BA in linguistics and minor in LGBTQ studies from the University of Michigan. My research interests are in sociophonetics, speech perception, and trans linguistics. Broadly, I am interested in better understanding how trans and nonbinary people navigate and assert their identities in different regions of the United States. My research aims to explore how trans identity is co-constructed by the listener and the speaker and how the cisgender listening subject negotiates trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals. With this, I am interested in applications of semiotic theory to speech perception research, particularly indexicality, normativity, and the listening subject. My current research is focused on how the cisgender listening subject manifests in sibilant perception when the listener believes that the speaker is transgender.