Current Work
Store Manager • Four Directions by Geoscape Rock Shop
April 2021 – Present
In April 2021 my parents had the incredible opportunity to purchase one of our favorite stores- Four Directions on Main St. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We had admired Four Directions since I was just a kid and were thrilled when previous owners Al & Karen Freedman approached us about purchasing their store so they could retire.
Recent Work
Jack of All Trades • Geoscape Rock Shop
June 2015 – Present(ish)
My parents opened their first store in my hometown of Paw Paw shortly after I graduated from University in 2015. Geoscape Rock Shop grew quickly and by 2019 I started working for the family business full-time. My work included a wide variety of tasks, ranging from inventory management, creating a SKU system for point of sale, website design and development, eCommerce, print and digital media design, in addition to typical retail duties such as sales, merchandising, customer service, and purchasing.
Currently, my work for Geoscape Rock Shop is more limited since I am focused on managing Four Directions.
Owner • Petralona
June 2015 – Present
Before working for my family’s business as an official employee, I worked for myself selling mineral specimens and handmade jewelry on Etsy and at local craft fairs.
Past Work
Research Assistant, Akil Lab, Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan
September 2011 – August 2015
As an undergraduate I had the incredible opportunity to work at a neuroscience lab as an assistant to a graduate student. I was involved in many aspects of research including data collection and processing, laboratory benchwork, and conducting behavioral experiments.
During this time I presented our research at two undergraduate poster presentations and was awarded a grant by the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.
Some of my work is represented in this 2018 paper published in Neuropsychopharmacology by my mentor Katherine Prater:
Selectively Bred Rats Provide a Unique Model of Vulnerability to PTSD-Like Behavior and Respond Differentially to FGF2 Augmentation Early in Life, Prater et al. 2017. Neuropsychopharmacology volume 42, pages 1706–1714