A native of NYC, Elizabeth had no idea about what she wanted to do for a living growing up. She has quite an unconventional path, dropping out in the middle of college and then working in the fashion industry. Then, she decided to go back to Columbia University for a bachelor's degree and found her passion roaming in the Victorian literature. After a year working in a law firm, Elizabeth moved to teaching at NYC high school through the NYC Teaching Fellows program (very similar to Teach for America). Then, Elizabeth decided to get her PhD, and finally came here to teach at Vanderbilt. In this episode, Elizabeth shares about the ups and downs along this unconventional career path journey, a variety of topics and perspectives from body image, role of community, societal expectations and individualistic pursuits, along with what got her into her “6-to-8”, doing Yoga and now Yoga instructor after 200+ hours training during the pandemic. Let’s dive right into this wonderful journey of discovery and Elizabeth’s stories!