Welcome to my page!
I am a professor, social scientist, educator, author, and advocate dedicated to the positive advancement of humanity. I have a PhD in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy (University of California, Irvine) and a Master's in Social Work with an emphasis in Community Organizing (University of Pittsburgh). I presently hold a position as an Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge.
As a researcher, my areas of expertise include inclusion and exclusion; citizenship and citizenry exclusion; foster care, adoption, and homeless youth; and (immigrant) nonprofits. The overarching research question I investigate is how do social actors (e.g., nonprofits, cities, local governments, the media) contribute to the inclusion and exclusion of social groups? Populations I have studied are immigrant, ethnic, and religious groups and individuals with experiences of foster care, adoption, and youth homelessness.
As an educator, my philosophy is to create a learning environment that keeps equity, anti-oppression, and wellness in mind. I have over 10 years experience in nonprofit management, youth empowerment and education, community organizing, program evaluation, and art-based programs. For five years, I worked as a nonprofit manager at the Urban League, a national African American civil rights organization, where I developed and managed a mentoring program for African American students in Pittsburgh Public Schools that aimed to promote academic equity in the city. I am the former artistic director of Yemaya Productions, a social enterprise dedicated to raising social and cultural awareness.
I am an advocate of the foster, adoption, and homeless youth community. My podcast, Foster Care, Adoption, and Beyond: Untold Stories, combines research and storytelling to educate and raise awareness on topics related to this population.
I am a professor, social scientist, educator, author, and advocate dedicated to the positive advancement of humanity. I have a PhD in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy (University of California, Irvine) and a Master's in Social Work with an emphasis in Community Organizing (University of Pittsburgh). I presently hold a position as an Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge.
As a researcher, my areas of expertise include inclusion and exclusion; citizenship and citizenry exclusion; foster care, adoption, and homeless youth; and (immigrant) nonprofits. The overarching research question I investigate is how do social actors (e.g., nonprofits, cities, local governments, the media) contribute to the inclusion and exclusion of social groups? Populations I have studied are immigrant, ethnic, and religious groups and individuals with experiences of foster care, adoption, and youth homelessness.
As an educator, my philosophy is to create a learning environment that keeps equity, anti-oppression, and wellness in mind. I have over 10 years experience in nonprofit management, youth empowerment and education, community organizing, program evaluation, and art-based programs. For five years, I worked as a nonprofit manager at the Urban League, a national African American civil rights organization, where I developed and managed a mentoring program for African American students in Pittsburgh Public Schools that aimed to promote academic equity in the city. I am the former artistic director of Yemaya Productions, a social enterprise dedicated to raising social and cultural awareness.
I am an advocate of the foster, adoption, and homeless youth community. My podcast, Foster Care, Adoption, and Beyond: Untold Stories, combines research and storytelling to educate and raise awareness on topics related to this population.
