About Me
I am a first-generation American as well as a first-generation graduate of higher education. I am interested in applied research that translates into the planning, implementation, and evaluation of culturally-competent social programs for low-income or marginalized children, families, and communities.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I attended middle and high school on the Upper West and Upper East sides of Manhattan, respectively. I lived in Ithaca, New York for four years while attending Cornell University, and in Newark, Delaware for two while attending the University of Delaware for graduate school. I currently reside in Blacksburg, Virginia, where I was a doctoral student at Virginia Tech and am have recently joined the Public Health faculty. I mention the places where I have lived because community is very important to me.
Community, however, transcends the boundaries of physical spaces. I conceptualize community as the shared physical, psycho-social-spiritual connections between individuals. That is, community can exist among and between people who share a neighborhood, a paradigm, an identity group, or a belief system. While I believe that social programs have power to enhance and support communities, I advocate for the knowledge and experiences of community members to be included as sources of expertise.
As a scholar, I value research and theory, but I also value other forms of knowledge--such as cultural beliefs, traditions and lived experiences. Thus, as a future applied researcher and professor, I hope to incorporate phenomenological and participatory research in my future work, as I strive to explore how to engage youth, families, and communities in co-creating resilience-promoting programs. Within the university, as a future professor, I hope to promote innovation, inspiration, and inclusion in higher education. I also hope to serve as a bridge between the university and local community. I hope to facilitate collaborative community-university engagement and to help leverage the power of community knowledge paired with research and theoretical knowledge to promote social good.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I attended middle and high school on the Upper West and Upper East sides of Manhattan, respectively. I lived in Ithaca, New York for four years while attending Cornell University, and in Newark, Delaware for two while attending the University of Delaware for graduate school. I currently reside in Blacksburg, Virginia, where I was a doctoral student at Virginia Tech and am have recently joined the Public Health faculty. I mention the places where I have lived because community is very important to me.
Community, however, transcends the boundaries of physical spaces. I conceptualize community as the shared physical, psycho-social-spiritual connections between individuals. That is, community can exist among and between people who share a neighborhood, a paradigm, an identity group, or a belief system. While I believe that social programs have power to enhance and support communities, I advocate for the knowledge and experiences of community members to be included as sources of expertise.
As a scholar, I value research and theory, but I also value other forms of knowledge--such as cultural beliefs, traditions and lived experiences. Thus, as a future applied researcher and professor, I hope to incorporate phenomenological and participatory research in my future work, as I strive to explore how to engage youth, families, and communities in co-creating resilience-promoting programs. Within the university, as a future professor, I hope to promote innovation, inspiration, and inclusion in higher education. I also hope to serve as a bridge between the university and local community. I hope to facilitate collaborative community-university engagement and to help leverage the power of community knowledge paired with research and theoretical knowledge to promote social good.