I am currently accepting doctoral students in Human Development. Students whose research interests align with mine are encouraged to apply.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Counseling & Educational Psychology department with an appointment in Human Development. I received my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

My research interests investigate the schooling experiences of historically marginalized and/or excluded adolescents and young adults, particularly rural, Black, and LGBTQ+ students. I am specifically interested in how family and school contexts, especially STEM-related contexts, interact with students’ academic motivation, feelings of belonging, mental health, and persistence across high school and into college. In doing this work, I collaborate across disciplines, adopt asset-based frameworks, and utilize a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

Recent work appears in Educational Researcher, Science Education, the Journal of Adolescent Research, and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and my research teams have received funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, IU Racial Justice Research Fund, and the IU School of Education. I am currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and am a Holmes Scholar Mentor.