Allison was born and raised in Seminole, Florida. She completed her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B. S. in Ecology and Evolution. After graduating, she traveled for a few years conducting ornithology field research on several different projects in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Tennessee, New Mexico and even Canada. She started her master’s thesis research at New Mexico State University, where she is currently studying the nest survival of Bendire’s Thrashers, a rare passerine species that is facing population declines. Her interests in wildlife conservation and working with threatened and endangered species inspired her to work with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Directorate Fellows Program, in hopes of becoming a wildlife biologist in the future. She is excited to work with an agency that values the representation of minorities and actively seeks to increase diversity for future generations.