DeForest is serving as an AmeriCorp VISTA with the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development to build support for outdoor recreation in small communities flanking the Pinhoti Trail. She is currently a graduate student at Auburn University studying Natural Resource Management.
DeForest was born and raised in central Alabama and earned an undergraduate degree from Auburn University. She enjoys hiking and backpacking and has completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and the Alabama Section of the Pinhoti Trail. She is a member of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society and served as the volunteer caretaker on Flagg Mountain during the spring of 2021.