Her parents bought her and her siblings their first recreational kayaks when they were in primary school. They would spend weekends paddling at Lake Michigan. She began competing at the Extremity Games at age 14. "The first year I entered I was the youngest person in the competition, and I think the only female in the kayaking event. I was up against grown men so I felt content not placing in the top three. The next year I told my father I wanted to take the competition more seriously. He signed me up for a 'learn the forward stroke' class. I took one lesson and won the Extremity Games, both men's and women's categories for the next seven years. It was there I was discovered by [slalom paddler] Ben Kvanli. He saw me race and later found me on Facebook and extended an offer to move to Texas and train for the new event being added to the Paralympic Games, sprint kayak." (ymcdn.com, 06 Sep 2016)

2010- Youth Ambassador at the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games

2009- Gil Heard Courageaous Athlete Award by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. 

2009- Inducted into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame as a Rising Star