acknowledgements-draft

All of this would not have been possible without my incredible network and support system of friends, family, and mentors throughout the years. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me in any way along my graduate school journey.

I was fortunate to have been introduced to statistics by some amazing professors at Winona State University during my undergraduate degree. All of you invested in my future and gave me opportunities that built my foundation of statistical knowledge with activities outside the classroom and internship experiences. Dr. Tisha Hooks, thank you for being someone I know I can always count on for advice and Dr. Chris Malone, thank you for planting the small mustard seed of being a professor in my mind by telling me, "go to grad school and teach." Thank you to my friends and peers at WSU who navigated classes and life with me, you taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with a group of collegues to collaborate and share ideas with. To Andrew Hansen for continuing on to our master's together at University of Nebraska - Lincoln; you have always seen the best in me and never doubted what I was capable of achieving.

During graduate school, I have had many wonderful mentors. To my advisors, Dr. Susan VanderPlas and Dr. Reka Howard, thank you for showing me that you can be both an unbelievable mother and a kick ass academic. Reka, thank you for giving me the freedom to explore and discover an area of statistics I am passionate about; you have been encouraging me from day one. Susan, thank you for sharing your world of graphics with me and continuing to push me to be a better researcher; I am looking forward to collaborating more in the future. To my committee members, Dr. Erin Blankenship and Dr. Heather Akin, thank you for your enthusiasm about my work and being a part of my Ph.D. program. To other prominent mentors at UNL, Dr. Kathy Hanford and Dr. Walter Stroup, thank you for training me to be a statistical consultant and value collaborative work. Dr. Stroup, thank you for hiking a mountain with me at JSM and advising me not to trust anyone under 14,000 feet.

My family is a top notch bunch. To my parents and biggest fans, Wayne and Ann Robinson, thank you for always believeing in me and knowing when I need extra support or encouragement. To my sister Kelby Hildebrandt and brother in-law Christen Hildebrandt, thank you for always being curious about my work; to my sweet nephew, Slade Hildebrandt, you never fail to make me smile. To my brother, Mark Robinson, thank you for speaking my language of statistics and to my sister Ainslie Robinson, I am forever grateful for our countless FaceTime chats and virtual pandemic lunches.

Nobody makes it through life without a great group of friends and I am forever grateful for my statistics gals who were there to support me throughout this entire journey. Jessica Hauschild and Kelsey Karnik, you have been solid rocks and the most reliable friends I have ever had. To Dr. Ella Burnham, you were the best office mate I could have asked for; thank you for making going into work fun and for taking random study break walks with me. Dr. Donna Chen, thank you for being my adventure buddy and encouraging me to grow in my faith. To my graduate school roommate, Alison Kleffner, there are not enough words to thank you for being one of my best friends and biggest cheerleaders in Lincoln, NE; graduate school would not have been the same without someone to work from home with during the pandemic. Thank you for always laughing at my jokes and going along with my crazy ideas; I am excited to see where life takes you in your future. I was incredibly blessed with the best cohort of peers to navigate classes, consulting, and research with; Dr. Vamsi Manthena and (soon to be) Dr. Miguel Fudolig, thank you for not only being my peers, but friends I can count on and collegues to bounce ideas off of. You both challenged me to push my goals further than I could ever imagine. To my friends who supported me from a distance, than you for always picking up the phone and meeting me where I was at in life. Dr. Katilin Wohnoutka, PT, DPT, thank you for walking along side me through our twenties and showing me how to embrace the unknown.

I want to give a big thanks to Southwood Lutheran Church for giving me a church home throughout graduate school. You gave me the space to grow stronger in my faith and challenged me to develop my own beleifs about the world around me. It is a testament to you that I strategically planned my summers around the annual mission trips; thank you for taking me in as an outsider and making me a part of these incredible weeks. To Pastor Greg Olson, thank you for giving me the courage to take a leap of faith on my future.

Lastly, I want to thank Dr. Taylor Alison Swift for making beautiful music that got me through some long days and nights of writing.

It takes a village to accomplish something great and I am so thankful for the community that has surrounded me during my time in Lincoln, NE. To the Cal Poly Statistics Department, I look forward to joining this incredible group of faculty; you have already shown me the support I know I will have in my next stage of life.